


The Kingdom of Ends

by LettersfromLaika



Category: Sense8 (TV)
Genre: Angst, Bromance, Cluster Feels, Eventual Smut, F/M, Humor, Multi, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-05
Updated: 2016-12-19
Packaged: 2018-07-21 19:26:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 28
Words: 104,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7400830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LettersfromLaika/pseuds/LettersfromLaika
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He was standing by a dilapidated fountain, just as she knew he would be."Kala?" he asked raising his voice over the rain, "What is happening?" he was looking about him wildly, lit a blood-red by the failing light. Then, almost to himself, whispered, "Am I dreaming?" </p><p>Post season 1 Kalagang, with lots of help from the cluster.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Not my characters etc...

Chapter 1:

Wolfgang had been driving for exactly three hours and thirty-seven minutes when his left hand started to shake uncontrollably. At three hours and thirty-nine minutes the right one started too. At three hours and forty minutes he was hastily pulling over the large rental van to puke his guts out on the side of the road.

The pain, exhaustion, relief and fear of seven other people felt like a baseball bat to the back of his head. The steady throbbing behind his eyes reminded him that he had not had anything to drink in over five hours. The persistent black stains from the blood he had washed off his shoes... Wolfgang retched again. Fuck.

Hands still shaking, he returned to the driver's seat of the van. Felix was passed out in the back. He had woken for a few moments when Wolfgang came to pick him up. Long enough to have a smug smile on his lips at being addressed as Herr Conan, and long enough to have it vanish instantly once he saw the look in Wolfgang's eyes. Escape had been easy; the bribed nurse passed Felix out the back entrance, still in a gurney, a clear plastic sack of medication tucked under his blankets. Wolfgang, face and hair damp from the vigorous scrubbing he had given it had handed the nurse another envelope of money and took the fastest route out of Berlin.

He was still in the city when Will called him to Iceland. Given how his day had turned out, he did not even blink at the idea of driving the ambulance into a helicopter. He did, however, flinch as he left Will's body. Flinched because he had felt, like the prick of a needle or something sharp and unexpected underfoot, an alien mind. Not us, some primal part of him had whispered, not us. He had withdrawn, recoiling reflexively and swerving slightly into the other lane of traffic before he came to himself. After that he did all in his power to remain in his own mind, reciting scraps of Felix's favourite movies and even singing out loud to the radio as the pain from Riley and Will filled his mind. He could not focus on them, just as he could not focus on the bone deep ache in his forearms from the kickback on the handgun he had emptied into his uncle's face. Just as he must ignore the image of brains and blood spattering onto Sergi's sweater that insisted on playing over and over in is mind.

He only let himself wander once more, stopped at a red light over 200km from Berlin, when he felt, like the tingling static of moving a limb that had fallen asleep, Will rise briefly to consciousness. And there for the first time, bobbing up and down on a little fishing boat, he saw all seven of his other selves. Felt the protective, steely determination from Sun, Nomi and Riley, the damned eternal optimism of Capheus, echoed the selfish relief and fear from Lito that Thank God that was not him lying there, and the roiling mess of feeling from Kala. Kala, who he understood most. Kala, who he dared not think of lest he find the disgust he felt for himself mirrored in her warm dark eyes. For a careful count of ten he had allowed himself to just look at her, sunlight caught up in her dark hair, perched on the side of the rocking boat. Imagined he could touch her, really touch her, smell the light floral perfume she wore and the aroma of spices from her father's cooking that clung to her skin.

Then he was back, the light was green, the sun was going down and a light sprinkle of rain was collecting on the windshield.

The drizzle had stopped now. He rolled down a window and pulled out a cigarette. His right hand was still shaking so badly he could not get the lighter to work. Wolfgang tried counting to ten again. A hand that was his and not his steadied his grip.

"Smoking is terrible for your health." said Nomi in prim voice that was only half teasing.

Wolfgang grimaced and took a drag, "I think there are other, more immediate risks to my health."

"Yes, about that," replied Nomi "Wolfgang Bogdanow, and his friend Felix Brenner, who was legally checked out of hospital early this morning..." Nomi arched a coy eyebrow. "...to be transferred by land to a private care with a highly trained team of nurses, are in Switzerland. During the...er... events at your uncle's house you boarded a packed plane to Zurich where you rented a lovely little cottage in the countryside and a car. You also bought a week's worth of groceries on your credit card."

Wolfgang exhaled slowly. "I did have a plan, you know."

"Of course, I know. I am you, remember?" Nomi, turned her head distracted, and abruptly he was sitting beside her at the kitchen table in San Francisco, her pretty girlfriend, Amanita he recalled, leaning over the two of them.

"Is it the broody German one?"

"Yes." replied Nomi.

"Broody German one?" repeated Wolfgang incredulity swelling in his chest and threatening to burst out as a hysterical laugh. Nomi did laugh, albeit a bit shakily.

"Yeah, Neets has made up code names for all of you, Lito is 'that smooth Mexican fella' Sun is 'boss ass business bitch", Kala is..."

"- I need get back to driving," interrupted Wolfgang. "Thank you for your help, but I don't –"

"- I am giving you a choice Wolfgang." Said Nomi, interrupting him this time. "I know that you intended to flee Germany as a criminal. Live low for a few years until you could be sure of no retribution. I am giving you the chance to live as an innocent man. The alibi is solid; the cottage in Switzerland is waiting for you. I have generated enough evidence to keep the authorities and otherwise away. You will be able to return to Berlin, make an honest living." She paused. "One you can be proud of."

And why would I want to do that? He almost asked, but they both knew the answer to that. Because fight it as he might, the thought dogged him: while Kala's parents might not like the sound of Wolfgang Bogdanow, German locksmith, it was a hell of a lot better than Wolfgang Bogdanow, diamond thief and mass murderer, on the run from justice. Of course, neither sounded as good as Rajan Rasal, of Rasal Pharmaceuticals. His right hand began to shake again.

Nomi eyed it gently, "You are going into shock."

Wolfgang resolutely clenched his jaw and put the keys into the van's ignition, tossing the cigarette stub out the van window. Nomi reached for his hand once more, and the kindness in her eyes told him she knew exactly what he had been thinking. For a moment he truly hated her for that.

Softly she said. "She is much too smart, and likes you far too much you to do what you tell her. But we both know how important her family is to her. Its not too late."

Wolfgang looked at their hands; hers soft and freckled, his darker and with somebody's blood still crusted under the nails. They both shuddered with the revulsion he felt at that.

" You did what you had to do, there is no wrong in that."

"I know," said Wolfgang shortly. "Do you think, I don't know that? He deserved it, they all did. My family, they worked for the worst kind of criminals and committed the worst kind of crimes. The world is better without them in it." He paused. "But, I am still here, and I am no better than they were."

Nomi's grip tightened on his hand. "To commit violence against yourself is to commit it against all of us."

"I know," Wolfgang repeated, paused, and rolled his aching shoulders. He was silent for a moment, thinking, before letting out a defeated sigh. "Felix loves Berlin, he was the main reason I never left, despite my family. It would be hard on him, if we could not return."

He fixed Nomi with a grim look. "If your alibi is as good as you say it is, I would do this for him, and I don't want to talk about Kala any more."

Nomi breathed a quiet sigh of relief and nodded. "I booked the cottage using your email, the address should be there. It is only about four more hours. A nurse is waiting there, she is a friend of mine, and she will corroborate your story."

Wolfgang nodded, a racking tremor shook him and he suddenly became aware that he was freezing. "I don't know if I can drive there tonight," he admitted.

Nomi hesitated for a second, before Wolfgang felt the warm Nairobi air on his skin and felt Capheus slowly take over his body.

"Rest brother," he said. "I can take you the rest of the way." And with firm hands on the wheel he pulled back onto the road.

*************************************** ***************************************************** *******************************************************

It was nearly midnight when they arrived, but true to Nomi's word the nurse was waiting in inside cottage number sixteen. It was her capable hands that lifted Felix out of the gurney and in a bed in a small brightly lit room, her hair a violet shade that matched the bouquet of flowers sitting by the windowsill. Vaguely, Wolfgang wondered how she knew Nomi, and faintly he heard in the back of his head, something that sounded like "Hack-tivist community" and "not the only one with a criminal past".

Exhausted, and assured by the nurse that Felix was fine. Wolfgang tottered into the bedroom down the hall from Felix's and collapsed, shoes and all into a soft white duvet.

The nurse's name was Julia and she was an American. Wolfgang knew this, because when he woke up nine and a half hours later to sunlight and persistent birdsong, he heard her talking to Felix and Felix slowly but coherently replying.

Drowsily rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he meandered down the hall to Felix's room. He was about to push the door open, when the tones of Felix's voice made him reconsider, and turn, smiling slightly, into the bathroom instead. Typical Felix - barely escaped his deathbed and already flirting with the staff.

The bathroom, like the rest of the house was painted a clean white colour that leant the place an almost beachside feel and it had -bless Nomi's heart - thought Wolfgang grudgingly, a very large bathtub.

He unpacked his toiletries and Felix's as the bathtub filled, partially keeping up appearances, partially because he liked things to be neat. The medications for Felix filled up an entire shelf of the cabinet behind the mirror and Wolfgang was forced to swallow hard against the lump in his throat.

Sliding into the blissfully warm water, Wolfgang forced his thoughts away from Felix and his uncle. The absence of Will was unbalancing, like trying to listen to music with water in one ear. Riley was still on Sven's boat, heading to the long way back to London. Capheus was driving the Van Damn into Nairobi. Lito was smoking a cigarette on his balcony, and Nomi was getting ready for bed, kissing her way down Aminita's neck, arching her back as her girlfriend's hands slid down her hips, he could feel her phantom fingers slide past his navel... Wolfgang violently plunged his head underwater. Sex as a rule didn't bother him - not even being a telepathic quasi-voyeur to sex that was happening on the other side of the world - what did bother him was the lust that was his and not his beginning to pool below his gut, quickening his breath. Lust that would not be directed at Aminita, but made him reach out without thinking to Kala.

He had not quite figured out how to control his visits to her, and while her reaction to him showing up at her lab bench, dripping wet and aroused would be amusing, the playful warmth between them had been tainted by his actions. You knew this would happen, whispered part of him, what was for him, a sunlit, pastel coloured, fantasy was for her simply reality. A reality his darkness had no place in.

So he focused instead on the sound of Felix and Julia's distant conversation, the musical clank of water lapping the walls of the tub and the soft pop of bubbles escaping his mouth, until the growling in his stomach reminded him that he had not eaten for almost a day and a half.

The soap had a rather pervasive flowery scent to it, as did the lotion but Wolfgang used both, scrubbing it into his skin to remove the scent of ashes and gunpowder that clung to it.

Felix's door was still closed when he exited the bathroom, so he set off to the kitchen in search of breakfast. Felix loved omelets. Felix also could not cook for shit. Wolfgang had often woken, viciously hungover and sore from sleeping in his customary place on Felix's couch, to the sound of the fire alarm and a plume of smoke spreading from the kitchen. Felix irritatingly bright eyed (he was one of those people that always woke up early after a night of drinking) assuring him that, really, really this was all intentional and that the key to good cooking was a sense of adventure. Wolfgang could cook 4 things: eggs – scrambled or not at all, toast, instant ramen noodles and a very specific recipe for Knödel that his mother had taught him before she died.

Eggs would seem to be the order of the day. After fishing the carton out of the refrigerator full of groceries 'he' had bought, he was just cracking the eggs into a bowl when Sun appeared next to him.

" You should add green onions, and cheese."

Wolfgang, checked to make sure Julia and Felix were not in the room, before snorting softly, and replying, "Since when are you an expert on scrambled eggs?" It was nighttime in Seoul; she was still in solitary, the smell of heating oil filling the small cell.

" I like to cook," Sun's lips tightened. "My father never let me, and I was too young when my mother died to learn. Once I moved out it was a good way to unwind from my day."

He had a fleeting mental image of vegetables cooking in sauce and a bright-eyed puppy at her feet, drooling slightly; pink tongue flopped to one side, the radio playing some pop song.

"Eggs for breakfast is a Western thing of course," said Sun, briskly opening the fridge. "But I would take out some of Father's American clients when they came for Seoul and they would always want eggs."

Wolfgang stood back and watched as she grated cheese with smooth, practiced strokes. The pain the thought of family evoked in the two of them was a little too sharp, so she continued speaking, " After eating at all these Western restaurants, I started to get a taste for breakfast food, I can make an excellent omelet –"

" I will have to introduce you to Felix." Interjected Wolfgang.

Sun rolled her eyes, and continued " – Koreans don't really have food that is only meant to be had for breakfast, it is either leftovers from the night before or from whatever restaurant is open in the morning." She added a little water to the eggs and cheese (makes them fluffier apparently) and poured the mixture into the pan with a comforting sizzle.

" What do Germans eat for breakfast?"

"Sausages" said Wolfgang promptly, before snickering at Sun's skeptically raised eyebrow. "I usually eat cereal." 

A comfortable silence fell between them, as Sun chopped and sprinkled some green onions into the pan and he fiddled with the coffee machine. Of the cluster, Sun and him were likely the most comfortable with silence. He, used to the concentrated quiet of lock picking, and she to the sort of the air-conditioned isolation that can only be found on the top floors of corporate buildings.

He could not help but think of Kala then, and her noisy colourful world. The press of millions of voices constant, the honking kamikaze vehicles on the street and the sweet strains of music drifting up to the rooftop where they had once sat. A stubborn ache settled into his chest.

"You're an idiot." Stated Sun spooning eggs on to his plate as the toaster dinged. "A misguided, paternalistic, idiot."

"What?" asked Wolfgang, startled and, although he would not admit it, slightly confused about her use of paternalistic (he was not stupid but most of his education consisted of Arnold Schwarzenegger movies and safe cracking).

"Kala." Explained Sun patiently, "Who the hell do you think you are telling her to marry Rajan? That is her choice, and you don't just get to go around telling her how to live her life."

"I was trying to protect her." Protested Wolfgang.

Sun laughed derisively and handed him a steaming plate of eggs with two slices of toast on it. "None of us are protected."

Wolfgang drew in a deep breath to protest, but with a jolt their connection was broken. He turned at the sound of Felix's door opening to see Felix heavily supported by Julia, and white faced with pain, hobble across the hall to the washroom. He threw what was either a wink or a grimace in Wolfgang's direction.

Some time later, Felix was re-ensconced in bed with some sort of pink smoothie Julia had made for him (no solids – she had sternly told Felix who was eyeing up Wolfgang's eggs, and then waggled a finger at him like he was a disobedient toddler) and Wolfgang at his side, coffee in hand.

"Wolfie, I-" started Felix, unsure.

Wolfgang had just summarized for him the events of the past few days in clipped emotionless sentences. Steiner is dead. I killed him. Sergi is dead. I killed him too.

"Wolfie..."

"Don't worry about it." He said shortly, quelling the nausea that rose in him when he thought of his uncles bashed in head. "We both knew the risks and you would have done the same for me."

Felix nodded uncertainly, and Wolfgang didn't like the way he was looking at him, a little awestruck and a little scared. He had not told him about the cluster, one big shock at a time, Wolfgang figured.

"I brought Conan." He said finally, to break the silence. He was rewarded with Felix's big dopey smile.

Julia, the American nurse with the purple hair, was sitting at the kitchen bar scrolling idly on her phone. The TV was on a British channel, a new anchor was saying things like "...Bogdanow family massacre... and suspected connection with rival Russian mobs... threatening messages sent to Sergi Bogdanow's cell phone... contacting surviving family members..."

"Was that you Nomi?" Wolfgang asked appearing in her sunlit flat long enough for her to nod. "Julia thinks that you are here because someone threatened your family and that the authorities cannot be trusted. Which-" Nomi's mouth twisted ironically, "-is more true than either of us care to think about."

"Oh, I am so sorry!" came Julia's voice; she had a soft southern accent, and gestured at the TV, before shutting it off. "I wasn't thinking, of course they would cover the story about your family."

"Its fine." said Wolfgang although he had to consciously unclench his jaw. "We were not close." Understatement of the year. "Felix is sleeping again I thought now would be a good time to talk about his treatment needs."

She nodded. "Well, the good news is your German doctors did a good job on patching him up. Likely no permanent intestinal damage, although he will need to be checked regularly to how the scar tissue grows. He will have lots of scars, although –" she threw Wolfgang a look, "-he seems to think those will add to his sex appeal. It is his lungs that worry me. The left one is OK, but the right partially collapsed. He is at risk for all sorts of respiratory illnesses and issues."

Wolfgang swallowed. "So, what should we do?"

Julia scratched the side of her nose. "Wait mostly, make sure he doesn't strain himself, hope for the best. I have a friend that works as a physiotherapist, to help him regain muscle strength once he is up to it. I will see if he can give you a discount."

"Thank you." Wolfgang inclined his head.

Julia smiled brightly back. "Any friend of Nomi's is a friend of mine! Actually, speaking of – how did you two meet?"

"Um... internet." invented Wolfgang, gesturing vaguely. Nomi and Lito snickered, somewhere in the back of his head.

She just nodded. "Me too, we were part of an online hacking community. I was actually planning on moving to San Fran for college, but my stepmom ended up getting sick so I moved here to be closer to her and my dad."

"But you are an American?"

"Yeah." She laughed. "Born and raised Arizona, but when my parents split my Dad moved to Switzerland for work – he is an accountant of course - and I stayed behind with my Mom."

Wolfgang nodded but didn't say anything. Talking about family understandably made him uncomfortable. But that didn't stop Julia who seemed to require very little encouragement to keep talking. He didn't mind so much, kept his mind off of things. It must have been an hour or so before Felix shouting that he had to piss, and could Wolfie get his lazy ass over here, ended their conversation.

"She's hot isn't she?" said Felix as Wolfgang awkwardly maneuvered him out of bed.

"I suppose, I hadn't noticed." He had. But it didn't matter because her face was all wrong and she was too pale and her hair was too short and did not stick out around her face in stubborn little curls before falling dark and glorious down her back.

"Wolfie? Wolfie you OK?" Felix was waving a hand in front of his face. "You look like someone took a piss in your beer again."

"Yeah, I am fine." Wolfgang schooled his features into a neutral expression, "You weigh as much as an elephant, must be all that working out you have been doing."

Felix snorted as he leaned his skinny frame against Wolfgang's shoulder. "Sure, make fun of the cripple."

And for a while everything seemed good again.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Kala Dandekar was not the kind of women who was easily moved to anger. Initially she had not been angry at all. Afraid yes, heartbroken yes, but anger did not come until later.

She was beside him the whole time, even standing in the shadows of his memory as he strangled his father with an electric cord, even as he emptied an entire clip into his uncle's face. Reeling in shock, trying to reconcile this Wolfgang with the man that sang to her in her bedroom, leaning into touch his forehead to hers, a sweet dimple in his cheek as he smiled at her. Trying and then realizing that no reconciliation was needed, because they were all many things, many people, many choices and not all of them were good.

That is why you must marry Rajan. Of all the pigheaded, controlling, self-aggrandizing... ullu ke pathe...

"Stick it to him, honey." Came Nomi from her perch on Kala's bed/ floral couch in San Francisco.

Kala sighed. "Yes, yes I will," she muttered distractedly, "I will fix my life I promise." She cast a helpless look at the slew of lab notes and journal articles that that littered her bedroom floor. "We kind of have bigger problems."

Nomi would not be deterred. "And by fix your life, you mean end your engagement to Rajan."

She sighed, and cringed as she always did at the thought of telling her parents, of hurting Rajan, who had only ever been kind to her. Sun was there, silently urging her to be strong. Riley too, arms curled around Will although they could not see him.

But there was more to it than that, and a part of her whispered, could it ever truly work? A life with Wolfgang was likely one that did not include her family, one that took her away from home, one of danger and darkness. The warmth, the desire, she felt for him might not be the sort that translated into a strong partnership. Would he even want that kind of relationship?

She had admitted her feelings for him, when he pulled up to his uncle's house, feeling dizzy terror at the torment welling from him. He wanted to die. She could feel it, the unfamiliar horror and violence filling her. She had admitted her feelings, stiff with fear that she would lose him, and it hadn't changed a thing. He was alive, she thanked Ganesha for that every morning, but the pain and fury wasn't gone. It still scared her.

Kala changed the subject. "I have found some promising studies based on the information you gave me about DMT, Riley. The supplies Nomi ordered came in yesterday, and I have been working overtime testing combinations." She grimaced," and the mice have been coming in handy too, although my family is wondering why I have suddenly developed allergies."

Nomi, still hacked in to Dr. Metsker's accounts, had ordered a collection of chemicals and labware that Kala had snuck into a small office space rented several blocks from her home. But the more complicated analysis had to be carried out at Rasel Pharmaceuticals.

"How long will it take?" Asked Riley quietly although her voice was a little strained.

Kala shook her head. "Normal drug approval processes take years, Riley. And they have healthy human subjects they can test it on. The only person I can test the drug on is me, and I want to hold off on doing that for as long as I can." She smiled ruefully, putting on an air of false bravado. "After all I might only be able to test it once."

"Kala." whispered Nomi, "You can't do that."

"I can and I will." she said firmly. "If you want to fight me on it you can do it closer to the time. But Will is part of me as much as you, and I will fight for him in the way I know how to."

Sun nodded at that, and withdrew. She understood that sacrifice too well. But Nomi and Riley still looked at her with worried eyes.

They all looked somewhat worse for wear, each of them dealing with the stress of Will's...affliction...Riley's flashbacks, Lito's coming out, Wolfgang's guilt in different ways. Mostly ways that involved not sleeping.

Kala had been feeling the effects; she was getting sloppy in the lab, not enough to screw up her carefully planned experiments, but more then she would like. Then there were the nightmares, sometimes just vague impressions of blood and fear. But other times, vivid, sensory images she would fight to forget.

Wolfgang plagued her thoughts, just as she knew she plagued his. They circled each other, like two stray dogs; almost close enough to touch but pulling away before they could.

Most nights, try as she might, she could not help agonizing over her choice. A smart woman would choose Rajan. A romantic would choose Wolfgang. Kala was both, but mostly she was aggravated with herself.

You are ridiculous, she told herself firmly in the mirror as she got ready for bed, agonizing over two men like people aren't starving to death. Like there isn't some lobotomizing maniac trying to hunt you down. But still, if she wasn't careful she would fall asleep thinking of him, and without thinking reach into his mind as she slept. Tonight was one of those nights, her usual fuzzy, nonsensical dreams, interrupted by a sharp choking sensation and reek of unwashed skin.

He had one hammy fist wrapped around her throat, and another inches from her throbbing left eye. She was terrified, and fighting so hard against tears that she could actually feel her teeth grinding together.

"You crying you little pussy?" he mocked. "How did I raise such a weak little bitch?"

His cruel face twisted into a sneer, breath reeking of alcohol. This always happened. At first it would seem like he was safe, his father would tell him to sit, ruffle his hair and ignore how Wolfgang flinched away, maybe teach him how to break a lock, but in the end it would end like this. It was the uncertainty that was the worst part. How bad would it be this time? He tried not to think of his mother. Wolfgang braced himself, tomorrow if one of the teachers asked (not that they ever did) he would tell them he got in a fight with the older boys.

The smell of vodka was overwhelming, he couldn't breath, Help! Help! he wanted to cry out. Yet when he opened his eyes, his father's face was no longer his father's, but Sergi's mangled with bullets, brains dribbling out of the smashed up skull leering grotesquely. Wolfgang screamed.

Kala woke with a shout, drenched with sweat, and tangled hopelessly in a white duvet. Wolfgang was laying beside her shaking violently, still asleep.

"Wolfgang, wake up." She whispered. "Its not real, I'm here." With a courage she didn't know she had, she reached out and gently laid a hand on his naked back, all blue shadows and sharp dark ridges.

It was only when they touched that the perfect illusion of her being with him was broken. While she could feel the cool sweat on his skin, the strong lines of his shoulders, something was missing - a certain indelible feeling of reality.

"Wolfgang." She whispered again. He did not wake, but stilled and exhaled softly once under her touch. He was sprawled on his stomach, like he had been the second time he visited her, hands clenched into fists at his sides. He must be tired, she thought, she somehow knew he was usually a light sleeper, tense, always ready to leap into action. A bottle of sleeping medication by his bedside caught her eye and the sight of it softened the tight knot of anger she kept buried in her.

Cautiously, she lay on her side facing him, the moonlight from the window settling on his strong jawline, straight nose. For moments she didn't dare move, just carefully memorizing his features, how many people got to see him like this? The little crease between his eyebrows relaxing, eyelashes that were nearly as long as hers fluttering slightly, soft even puffs of air now coming from his parted lips.

Kala shivered slightly at this, realized her hand was still on his back, and quickly removed it. Who was the pervert now? she asked herself chagrinned. She was suddenly aware of her appearance in a way that she never was around Rajan. Aware because she could feel the warmth of his body through the thin cotton camisole she slept in, feel his breath tickle the hairs on her arm.

She had never been in a man's bed before. She had kissed a few boys while in university, but it had never gone further than that. Not because she was a prude. OK maybe because she was a bit of a prude, but mostly because none of them had fascinated her in the way her chemistry textbooks had. Kisses were nice, but they never compared to the thrill of solving a problem in the lab. Or at least they hadn't. She flushed remembering the contrasting roughness of his cheek under her fingers and the softness of his mouth.

He had been holding back with her, she could sense that, the impression of great tenderness and even greater restraint. Giving her the gentle first kiss, he thought she deserved, aware of her inexperience, just barely running the tip of his tongue over her lip before he wrenched away from her. The second time, it was rougher more fervent, but rushed, almost impersonal - his mind by necessity elsewhere.

She wondered what it would be like to kiss him now. Would he push her away? Or would he give in, uninhibited by sleep, make good on the offer that was in his eyes when he first appeared in her bed. She could not help the warmth that spread through her body at that thought. Squirmed slightly as a little tingle started in her legs. Wolfgang shifted, his lower back flexing, and let out a contented sigh. He had sweet little dimples on either side of his spine right where it met his pelvis.

You are not helping, she told him silently, and then fondly added 'my demon' before remembering she was supposed to be angry with him.

It would do no good to wake him. She knew he would not take sleeping pills unless he was truly desperate. The cluster had felt, try as he might to hide it, the racking terror and guilt he felt when Felix developed a phlegmy cough, and of course the nightmares that plagued him.

She stayed only a moment longer, stealing her courage to run a gentle hand over his short hair, before she awoke in Mumbai, sunlight coming through her window onto her pillow surrounded by her handwritten lab notes.

As was her habit, she made her way to the Temple of Ganesha before work, stopping to kiss her father on the cheek as he stirred vats of sauces in the restaurant kitchen. When she approached the steps she had to swallow the fear that had dogged her since Rajan's father's attack. The temple was blissfully empty, or as empty as any place in Mumbai could be.

The combined anxiety over Will and Felix from the cluster had made it hard to focus, hard to maintain her positive energy. Often it felt like it fell on her and Capheus to keep them all from spiralling into depression. Even Lito, who was usually a good time, was depressed. She had sat with him, as she got ready for the day, and he slumped on the couch with the television blaring, two attractively made up news anchors discussing the recently leaked photos of him and Hernando.

"Its, like you aren't even a person." She breathed, as their discussion shifted to whether he still was a good contender for GQ Latino Sexiest Man of the Year.

"I am not." Lito shrugged. "I am an actor." But Kala could feel his humiliation at having his and Hernando's private life splashed all over crap day-time talk shows.

Feel his repressed fury, when his director called him to tell him that he was sorry Lito my dear, you know how I value our working relationship, but the film had been put on hold. She could also feel his joy at having Hernando back, the tenderness in his expression as he watched him puttering around the kitchen, glasses adorably askew.

"...You know I have always felt like he was slightly unconvincing in those big macho leading man roles he played. I think he really stood out in his more sensitive parts..."

"Vete a la verga!" Shouted Daniela and Hernando in outraged unison at the TV screen. Lito sighed and switched the channel.

"Is your family talking to you yet?" asked Kala.

Lito sighed again. "No, but I didn't expect them too. All they wanted for me was to become an actor, to move into a big house, live a better life then them. And now I throw it away for nothing."

"For love." Kala corrected. "And you have not thrown your career away, things will just be different, not worse."

Lito had nodded absently at this. But she felt his doubts as if they were her own. Was it worth it? Lito felt nothing but warmth and certainty as he watched Hernando, now gesticulating wildly as Daniela laughed at what ever story he was telling, but was it enough? He could almost feel the heaviness of his sacrifice, this choice, this bulky thing sitting between him and Hernando.

That worry was in both their hearts. "In the movies," Lito continued as she returned to brushing her hair, both of them in her bathroom because Lito did not want Hernando to hear him voicing his doubts, "In the movies, love always wins, good guy beats bad guy, and wins the girl. Or maybe good guy dies tragically in girls arms, or maybe his evil twin does, point is, in the movies I am in, that's what happens."

Lito unconsciously checked himself out in the mirror. "I am getting fat." He whined.

"I don't get your point." Said Kala fighting to pull the brush through a knot at the bottom of her hair.

"The point, the point is, that the good guy never gets with the other good guy." And with that, he was gone, but not before she saw the glistening of tears in his eyes.

It was with him in mind that she began her prayer to Ganesha, remover of obstacles. Music hummed softly in her periphery, and finally, sitting cross-legged on the bamboo mat, she felt some measure of peace.

When she finished her prayer, it became clear that the quiet music she was hearing did not come from the bells in the temple, but a pair of blue headphones somewhere on the North Atlantic Ocean. The minimalist guitar chords seemed incongruous with the opulence of the temple, but not necessarily incompatible.

Riley, looking pale and exhausted, wrapped in a rough grey fishing sweater followed her up the stairs to her rooftop hideaway.

"I'm sorry," she said "I didn't mean to distract you from your prayer, I am just going insane on this boat."

"Its alright." replied Kala. "How is Will?"

"Not good, but not worse." Kala watched him through Riley's eyes, ashen and limp in the bunk across from hers. "I can't keep him awake long enough to feed him much, mostly just calorie replacement drinks I found in the ambulance. He can be partially conscious for a few hours, to go to the washroom and stuff, but he is never really here, you know."

Kala nodded. " Are the exercises I looked up helping?" After 3 days of almost no movement, Will's muscles had begun to atrophy, sending him into violent shivers and agonizing pain. Kala cursed herself in situations like this for pursuing a Ph.D in Organic Chemistry instead of a medical degree. She had done her best, looking up some of her university friends that had gone on to medical school and asking for advice while being as vague as possible.

"Yes, thank God," Riley twisted her hands together. "He is still wasting away though. He used to be so strong."

Kala gripped her hand. "We will fix it, I promise."

Riley bit her lip and nodded. Kala could not help but marvel at her strength, to be so young - she still felt like a little girl sometimes- and yet have endured so much tragedy.

"Stay here a little while," said Kala gently. Riley nodded, and leaned her head against Kala's shoulder. The two of them sat quietly, watching the distant thunderclouds that heralded the beginning of monsoon season, rolling in the distance.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

Cottage life was getting to Wolfgang; or rather, it had been. It had been, until three and a half days into his stay in Breinz County Cottage number sixteen, and several cans of cheap German beer into his afternoon, when Sun had appeared at his feet, prison fatigues soaked with sweat, slowly doing one handed pushups.

After a promising first day, Felix's condition had worsened, as the respiratory infection that Julia had feared sent him into violent coughing fits. This pulled at his partially healed stomach wounds, which in turn sent Felix into an alarmingly black temper.

"I almost preferred the hopeless flirting." Wolfgang overheard Julia muttering to herself as she poured the cocktail of medications for Felix into the neat little sections of his pillbox.

Wolfgang hovered at first, but when it became clear that this was just adding to Felix's sense of helplessness, he had taken to sitting on the patio of the cottage, smoking, drinking and glaring at the almost offensively beautiful view.

The cottage was nestled into the wall of a valley, which inclined sharply until it met the blue of Lake Brienz, just elevated enough to allow Wolfgang to stare at the snowy peaks of the Alps. Which was what he had been doing, right until he lost a push up contest against a skinny Korean woman half his size.

"No hard feelings," smirked Sun. She was out of solitary and her spirits had risen significantly, especially with the news that her brother had been suspended from the Bak board of governors. "I have beat men far stronger and faster than you."

So he had taken up jogging. Ten kilometers down to the lake, where he would reward himself with a swim and then ten miserable kilometers back up to the cottage where he would reward himself by punching something and then collapsing dripping wet onto the grassy lawn in front of the cottage.

"You are one bicycle away from the world's most whiny triathlete," commented Felix from bed: his open window faced the lawn.

"I don't bike. You know that." Wolfgang had never learned, as if his father or uncle would ever think to teach him. "Fucks with my image."

"Environmentally friendly is the new black," quipped Felix, leaning forward as Julia adjusted his pillows. His cough was a little better today, and there was some colour to his skin. "Wouldn't you say Julia?"

" I would," said Julia, her purple scrubs matched her hair today; she looked oddly like a cartoon character. "An ex and I once biked the Kitt Peak route in Arizona. Took us seven and a half hours."

"Seven and a half hours!" Felix dropped his voice to a stage whisper, "Weren't afraid his bits would fall off?"

Wolfgang decided he had heard quite enough of that conversation and wandered off to the patio, leaving the two to enter into a semi-earnest discussion on the merits of padded bicycle shorts.

Collapsing into a patio chair he squinted contemplatively into the sky.

He had never been so aware of his urban upbringing as he was now. Up until a few days ago he had never even swam in a lake before. That first day, after slipping and cursing as he made his way into deeper water he was slowly struck by an oddly terrifying and unfamiliar sense of vastness. Looking down into the clear turquoise water, unable to see or touch the bottom, the silly childhood fear seized him: what if there was something down there?

He remembered how, as a boy, he would cling to the side of the pool, inching his way into the deep end imagining giant sharks and things with tentacles. Wolfgang had not been a child for long; he had shaken off the fear, cutting smooth lines in the glassy surface of the lake. Finally, he relaxed and floated, motionless on his back, feeling almost swallowed by the sky, grateful for the comforting shadow of the mountains, until the goose pimples on his arms reminded him that the lake was fucking freezing despite it being early-July.

He was following Nomi's instructions and was keeping a friendly, but low profile. So far he had driven into the town of Brienz twice to get food and movies for Felix. He had chatted politely with the cashiers, not disclosing any specific personal information.

Nomi was preoccupied with Will; he supposed they all were to some extent. He shared Capheus, Lito and Sun's frustration at not being able to do anything more. Give me a car, a lie, a fight they had thought in turn, then they could be useful. Wolfgang vaguely wondered what his role was meant to be: Give me a crime? Give me a chance to act out on my death wish?

"Don't be stupid," said Nomi, when she caught him thinking that way. "You are here for your street smarts."

Wolfgang snorted disbelievingly at that, but still did his best in helping Nomi find an untraceable place for Will to stay once he docked in London.

"Obviously, he can't stay there. Especially with those men looking for Riley." Nomi tapped her chin.

"It can't be anywhere too sparsely populated or with a well organized healthcare system, need bribable authorities..." Wolfgang pondered briefly. "Turkey?"

Nomi shook her head, "Refugee crisis. Increased security."

"Portugal?"

"Huge BPO research center."

And so it went. Even after Nomi left, he would lie awake in bed, worrying about Kala, worrying about Felix, worrying about Whispers or just caught up in the soup of emotions that was life inside a cluster.

He had, on Julia's suggestion, bought some sleeping pills, but after a string of nightmares about his father beating him, followed by dangerously sweet dreams of Kala in his bed, all topped off with an erection when he woke that rivaled his early-teenaged years in terms of urgency and inconvenience, he had tossed them into the very back of a drawer and refused to take them again.

On the sixth day in Switzerland Nomi appeared to him briefly as he was experimentally attempting eggs over easy.

"The police officer on your uncle's case should be here this afternoon, I have been tracking their communications. Do you remember your alibi?"

Wolfgang nodded, prodding at the pan.

"Don't forget to show them the text I sent from Sergi's phone."

"I wont." Wolfgang looked up, "Thank you, Nomi."

She looked a little surprised at that, but inclined her head before she vanished.

He was the picture of innocence and rural ease when the German police officer knocked on his door.

The officer was a large clean-shaven man, who smiled and politely declined his offer of a beer. Lito was hovering in his periphery as he indicated the patio seat across from him. Something about the way he held himself made him think of Will.

The officer consulted a small notebook. "We got your email, Herr Bogdanow, about the warning message your uncle sent to you. We were a surprised, however that you didn't contact the police."

Wolfgang shrugged. "You know as well as I do what my family was involved it. If my uncle tells me to do something I don't question it." He paused adopting a slightly fearful air. It didn't suit him, "He was a dangerous man, I tried not to get involved."

Lito was nodding encouragingly from his place to the officer's left side. Wolfgang wanted to punch him.

He offered his phone, dug up from the depths of his duffle bag and hastily charged; he never used the damn thing. "You may have my phone for evidence if you like."

The officer shook his head, "We have already requisitioned your phone records Herr Bogdanow." He had the grace to look slightly embarrassed. "It is an international investigation you know."

Wolfgang attempted a gracious nod. "Of course, is there anything else?" He had already handed in a written statement when the German police department contacted him two days ago.

"I would like to talk to your friend's nurse."

Wolfgang waved towards Felix's bedroom, "She is in there."

Julia, whom Wolfgang had been growing somewhat fond of despite her overwhelming tendency to ramble, held up to police questioning like a champion.

"That was not your first time," observed Wolfgang, after the officer left and all three of them were sprawled on the living room sofa (Felix somewhat immobilized by strategically placed pillows) a German soap playing on mute.

"No," Julia grinned. "Hacktivist, remember?" She paused, "Also did a little dealing in my youth."

"Of drugs?!" gasped Felix in mock horror, "My, my, and I have been placing my life in the hands of a criminal, to think..."

Julia rolled her eyes, "I am not a criminal, because I never got caught, dumbass."

Felix turned mournfully to Wolfgang, "You see, and now she is verbally abusing me."

"Says the person that called me some hideous German curse word yesterday, when I was too slow bringing you water."

"That was not a curse, it was a term of endearment!"

"Bullshit, you do know I speak some German, right?"

Felix, turned to look at Wolfgang, "Defend me Wolfie, you know I am never anything but a gentleman!"

Wolfgang rolled his eyes derisively, but he was feeling light, lighter than he had felt in a long while. Felix was on the mend, his name was likely going to be cleared, and they would be able to go back to Berlin. He did not think of Kala.

"I am going on a run." He announced, itching for the feel of the cool lake water on his skin.

He was halfway to the lake, and feeling good – of course it was all downhill to start with – when he was suddenly no longer sweating in the bright Swiss sunlight, but sucking in dry mouthfuls of foul tasting air in Mexico City.

It was dark and he and Lito were running down some sort of boulevard. Wolfgang coughed a little and then caught up to him.

"Fuck, the air is awful here."

Lito looked over at him slightly surprised. "This? This is nothing, the air is the best it has been for over 20 years." His breaths were slow and even. "I remember when I was a child, you would not see to the end of the street for the smog. " Fuck, he was in good shape, thought Wolfgang increasing his pace to keep up.

"Of course, Mexico was very different then," continued Lito. " Most people were farmers still, or ranchers, scraping a living in the desert. People are much richer now, which also means more cars." He pointed at a sticker on the back of a Beatle parked on the curb. "You need a permit to drive in the city, and then you can only do it on certain days."

Wolfgang looked around, "Is that an outdoor skating rink?" he asked gesturing to the brightly lit square they were passing by.

Lito nodded. "Yes it is new, the only one in Mexico."

"But it is a million fucking degrees here, it must cost a fortune to keep it cool. "

Lito laughed, "Mexicans are not always practical." He nudged Wolfgang. "We are more passionate, impulsive, romantic even, not reserved and, ah, utilitarian like you Germans."

"Although," Lito eyed him with theatrical seriousness, slowing the pace of his jog, and adopting a mystical tone "I see some passion in you."

"Fuck off," laughed Wolfgang.

"No, no, it is true," continued Lito, undeterred "A man that owns a bazooka like that -"

"- Are you flirting with me?"

"Do you mind?"

"No," Wolfgang laughed again. "So long as this doesn't end up in some lecture about how love will save us all or some telenovela shit."

"No, I save those for Hernando."

"Does he know?" Wolfgang asked. "About the cluster?"

"Yes," Lito smirked, "Eventually I had to explain to him what I meant by 'voices in my head' and why I would get randomly angry and emotional, or horny for no reason, whenever-"

"- whenever, Nomi and Aminita have sex, yeah I get that too." Wolfgang eyed Lito, who was beginning to increase his pace as he reached the end of the street. "At least the time difference isn't so bad for you."

"I suppose," said Lito "But they do have an awful lot of sex, and of course if you are not careful," He chuckled. "You get a repeat of our interesting little encounter with Will and Nomi."

"Poor Will," Wolfgang smirked.

"You didn't seem too phased by it."

Wolfgang shrugged. "Sex is sex."

"But you have been with men before?" asked Lito, now panting slightly as they climbed a gentle incline on the street.

"No," replied Wolfgang, " I have kissed men before, but it did not do much for me, so I never took it further." He paused. "It is different with the cluster, because you are not really you, right? You have the desires of everyone, not just yourself."

Lito nodded. "Might be awkward when we finally meet Aminita." They laughed slightly at the thought of that.

They were approaching a crosswalk, when a flicker of movement in front of them caught Wolfgang's attention. He stiffened sensing a threat.

Lito felt it too, "What is it?"

Wolfgang furtively scanned the street. "The car ahead of us, the black one its- " but it was too late. A black-gloved fist slammed into Lito's stomach. A vicious kick kept him on the ground.

"Fucking faggot!" growled a masked man, "Fucking pansy."

Sun was with them in an instant, fury and anticipation glittering in her eyes. They looked at each other, together, was the unspoken agreement. In unison, their hands formed fists. Sun knocked the legs out from the attacker, while Wolfgang scanned the street.

"There are two more men coming."

"Bring them," growled Sun. She aimed a well-placed kick at the first attackers ribs. They fought together, back to back, although in reality they were only one body. Lito's body effortlessly slid between her graceful kicks, and Wolfgang's efficient, brutal punches, injuries forgotten for the time. The attackers only managed to touch them once, when a glancing blow to Sun's stomach disorientated him and he felt an arm lock around his throat. For a moment he was lost in Kala's sickening fear, before Sun took over and effortlessly flipped the man over her head.

Wolfgang knelt beside the first attacker, and placed a knee on his sternum, feeling the grinding of his broken ribs.

"Don't you ever call me that again," he said fury still coursing through them. "You fucking bigoted coward."

He let him go, watched them scurry into their car and drive away, tires squealing. They were muttering to themselves in fear and astonishment. Good.

Then it was just he and Lito again, the latter looking winded but otherwise unharmed.

"Has that ever happened before?" Wolfgang demanded.

Lito shook his head slowly. "Nothing so direct; mostly just some threating fan mail, some sideways comments from my co-workers."

"You need to hire extra security."

Lito laughed breathlessly. "Why? I am a ninja! I just took out three men like it was nothing."

"I am serious," warned Wolfgang.

Lito, sighed, "Yes, fine. I will." He managed a grin; if he was hurt by the attacker's words he was hiding it well. Wolfgang didn't look past that, trying to give him the privacy of his feelings. "Who would have thought you had a protective streak?"

"I killed my entire family to protect Felix."

"Ay, that's right." Lito looked slightly abashed, "I'm sorry man."

Wolfgang waved him off, feigning dismissiveness, "It is nothing. We protect each other."

And that was the truth; he could feel them now, the rest of the cluster appearing beside them. Riley and Nomi checking Lito for injuries. Capheus pulling Sun in for a hug, praising her with victorious shouts of Van Damme!, Van Damme!. Kala standing so close to him he could almost feel the brush of her hair against his arm.

She was wearing a bright yellow dress that glowed under the streetlamps. It was raining in Mumbai; he could see a few drops of water clinging to her skin, her long dark eyelashes.

Get ahold of yourself, he firmly reprimanded himself, you are not a kid anymore - mooning over some pretty girl. But his body was flushed with adrenaline, all of theirs were. Fighting always did this to him, as if his brain wanted to remind his body that he was still alive. And he couldn't help himself, watching the progression of the little drops of rain, down the slope of her neck, slowing to brush over her collarbones, just was he would, before continuing down...

She had turned to look at him; probably because he was staring at her like an idiot. The desire that he was fighting so hard his jaw ached was reflected in her expression was she looked up at him. She could never really hide anything, not like he could.

Kala. She wasn't looking at him like she as pissed, or disgusted, not at all how he expected she would. Instead there was softness, understanding, some reproach perhaps, but – if he asked for it – forgiveness. That was the most terrifying thing of all.

Lust was replaced with something more complex. Fuck. It would never be that simple with her, he was a fool to imagine it could be.

There had been a girl, Katrin, although everyone had just called her Kat. She was tall, a volleyball player, playing at teenage rebellion; sneaking away from team practices to smoke with the misfits, or whatever the fuck they called the kind of people Wolfgang hung around. She had a boyfriend, also a volleyball player, but that didn't stop her from hanging on his arm, laughing calling him 'Wolfie'. He had to hide a cringe every time she did; only Felix was allowed to call him that name.

By that time he was working part-time at his lock-smithing apprenticeship, full-time for the family business. He must have been seventeen, eighteen at most, still he had been in the game long enough to know he couldn't give her what she wanted. Seventeen: smart enough to know better, stupid enough not to care. They had only slept together once; he had been a little high and a lot drunk, she hadn't told him it was her first time until it was too late.

He remembered sitting in her room afterwards, light from the streets shining off all the trophies and medals on her wall, suddenly sober as he had ever been, fighting the urge to flee. How had he missed it? How had he mistaken smooth skin and a large friend group for self-confidence? Mistaken the infatuation in her eyes for simple attraction?

He hadn't really believed that he could affect anyone that way until then; usually people hurt him, not the other way around. He never would make that mistake again.

At least he thought he wouldn't, but there was Kala sitting in the passenger seat of his car, eyes full of that terrible vulnerability, the words he didn't want to face sitting between them. Only this time it was worse, so much worse, because by that time he wanted so much more from her.

And perhaps worst of all, she knew it. Just like she knew now, just like everyone in the cluster probably knew but were being too polite to say anything too direct about.

Wolfgang forced himself back to the present moment, where Kala had already walked past him. She was smiling at something Lito was saying, Nomi had her had resting lightly on her shoulder. He watched as she tilted her head back in laughter, as Lito began to pantomime the attacker's running away. Laughing just a little too much, laughing to try and smooth over the humiliation coming from Lito that was like an exposed nerve.

Inevitable indeed, thought Wolfgang grimly, before returning to Switzerland. Mind absent, his body had found itself standing aimlessly in a wet ditch by the road. Wolfgang stifled an irritated sigh at the mud now seeping into his socks, and jogged the last few meters to the water before diving head-first, shoes and all into the welcome cold of Lake Brienz.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Next chapter up on Sunday :)


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

When Wolfgang returned to the cottage, dripping, and with an undignified squishing noise coming from his shoes every time he took a step, Felix was making a very slow, painful journey to the kitchen clutching a large grey cane for support.

"Ah Wolfie!"Felix mockingly shook a finger, "Don't just fucking stand there, help old Grandpa Felix to the fridge."

He paused as he took in Wolfgang's disheveled appearance; the bit of waterweed stuck in his hair, the slowly expanding puddle he was making on the doorstep. "On second thought, maybe not." Felix collapsed into a nearby armchair, "The fuck you do? Lose a fight against the Loch Ness monster?"

Wolfgang let out a reluctant laugh and shucked off his shirt, wringing it out into a flower box just outside the door. "We are in Switzerland, dumbass."

Felix placed a pensive hand under his chin, "The Swiss synchronized swimming team then," He started to grin, "Yes, I can see it now..."

Wolfgang snorted and started to dump the water out of his running shoes, tuning out Felix's animated depiction of Wolfgang getting his ass handed to him by women in flowery swim caps.

"You are lucky you are injured," Wolfgang mock threatened, cracking his knuckles at an unabashed Felix.

He grabbed a towel from the bathroom and quickly changed, before heading to the kitchen.

Julia's mother, as it turned out, was of Italian descent. Since they had collectively got sick of scrambled eggs, and now that Felix was back on solid food, she had been adding to Wolfgang's culinary repertoire. All this meaning that there was an impressively large amount of lasagna in the fridge.

Wolfgang had been tempted to point out the novelty of learning how to cook Italian food from an American woman in Switzerland, but seeing as he was sometimes simultaneously German, Mexican, Icelandic, American, Kenyan, Korean and Indian he didn't press the matter.

Felix gave him a baleful look as Wolfgang passed him on the way to the kitchen. He paused and adopted falsely respectful tone, "Can I get you anything?"

"Beer," sighed Felix and then catching Wolfgang's reproving eye, "Fine, fine apple juice, God you are worse than my mother, rest her soul."

Wolfgang was just slicing some cheese and bread after bringing Felix his juice, when a throbbing pain from Capheus had him standing in the slums of Nairobi, bread still clutched in one hand.

Capheus was sitting dejectedly on a rusted oil barrel outside of his home. Wolfgang scanned the area for danger, but there didn't seem to be any. He wasn't sure what to do.

Slowly as if approaching a wild animal, Wolfgang sat next to Capheus waited for him to speak. The weather oddly reminded him of a cloudy day in Berlin, he had expected it to be hotter here. The little sitting area outside Capheus's house was a small oasis in the near constant stream of people weaving between the corrugated steel shanties. The air was ripe with the scent of cooking oil and garbage.

"Sorry," said Capheus at last. "I didn't mean to call you here."

Wolfgang shrugged. He went to place a comforting hand on Capheus's shoulder, but realized he was still holding a slice of bread. How the hell did that work? Shrugging again he offered it to Capheus.

Capheus eyed it for a second, and then took it.

"Are you in some sort of trouble?" Wolfgang had the sudden, unnerving experience of swallowing food that was not in his mouth as Capheus took a tentative bite of bread.

"No," Capheus sighed, "My mother has pneumonia."

"I'm... I'm sorry," said Wolfgang lamely. Why was he here? He was shit at comforting people, usually if Felix was sad he just got him drunk. "Is she getting medical treatment?"

Capheus sighed again, "Mr. Kabaka has been most generous, but she has the AIDS, there is not so much they can do, but hope for the best."

Wolfgang nodded and then shifted uncomfortably. What was he supposed to say? That it would be all right? Luckily, Capheus saved him from speaking,

"Are you close with your mother?"

"She died when I was seven," Wolfgang would rather not talk about this, but in the same way he could not help but tell Kala about his father, he could not deprive Capheus of the few memories he had of his mother.

"How?"

Under suspicious circumstances, he wanted to say, but instead he repeated what his father had told him, "Drunk driver, hit her when she was walking home from work."

He had planned to leave it at that, but some how he found himself saying, "We were close before that, however. My father," he swallowed hard, but Capheus's eyes were free of judgment. "My father did not like that so much, but when he was away she would take me to the park and we would look at the sculptures that had not been torn down by the Communists."

He tried to provide some context for Capheus, "We were allowed to travel, the Berlin Wall was in the process of being torn down, but my father still didn't let my mother go to West Berlin, didn't want her getting any ideas. Ideas about leaving him," he clarified.

His mother had not been one to follow orders; Wolfgang remembered a fierce fondness growing in his heart. She had been victim to as much abuse as he had, perhaps more; he remembered her standing firmly in front of him as his father drunkenly advanced. Maybe he did understand why he was here.

"My mother loved art in all its forms," said Wolfgang, smiling softly now. "She had wanted to be a sculptor, before my father. She would talk about lines and space, proportions, texture and form for hours. She could look at what was to most people some shitty park, but she would claim to see Cubism in the swing sets, kinetic sculpture in the radio towers. " He laughed slightly, "And she loved music, all types it didn't matter, she taught me how to sing as a boy." He shook his head to dispel that thought. "I didn't really understand - I was too young. But I loved listening to her talk. I was so angry after she died, I remember thinking that I would never love anyone like that again; it hurt too much. My father always told me it made you weak."

"Weak!?" exclaimed Capheus, "That is bullshit!"

"I don't know," said Wolfgang. "My father was a miserable bastard, but he may have had a point."

"No, no, no" replied Capheus, "My mother always said that the strongest person was the one that fought with their heart as well as their body."

"Like Van Damme," he added. " The men that wanted to kill me and my mother, simply because of tribal conflicts, they could not fight with their hearts. They could not because if they did they would see there was no reason to be fighting at all. That is why they did not succeed in killing us, their hatred made them weak."

He met Wolfgang's eyes, there were tears in his eyes but his voice was steady, "No matter what happens with my mother today, I will know it was not because I was weak. I will know that I fought for her with all my heart, and I will try to believe that the time I had with her was enough."

Wolfgang swallowed, he could not meet Capheus's gaze. In some twisted way he envied his certainty, his conviction that to love someone, to truly love them, was enough.

He thought of Kala, he could fight for her, he thought. He could fly to India - take her in his arms - then what? He had limited money; her work was in Mumbai, and his in Germany, her parents would never accept him. While Wolfgang had many flaws, indecisiveness was not one of them, he had made his choice, and now he would live with the consequences.

He placed a comforting hand on Capheus's shoulders. They didn't say anything for a long time.

All hotels, cottages and hostels, no matter where you were in the world, used the same type of digital clock. This was what Wolfgang concluded as the 00:21 on the red display became 00:22, he had been staring at the clock for two hours and eighteen minutes.

There had been an ulterior motive to all the exercise he had been doing, although the idea of wiping the smug smile off of Sun's face was pretty damn good one. He had hoped that if he tired himself out enough, perhaps he would be able to have a dreamless sleep.

He had killed people before. He hadn't had much choice; one didn't just opt out of the Bogdanow family business. After his father, the first man he had killed had been a rival gang member. He was sixteen, he and Felix were smoking by the back of their old school - they had moved on to a locksmith apprenticeship at a workshop across the street by then - leaning against the rough brick wall. He was considering adding to the graffiti that the janitor had half painted over when his uncle's glossy black BMW slid up, crushing a few pieces of litter under its tires.

He had expected a lecture, perhaps followed by a cuff to the back of his head from one of his uncle's 'assistants'. Sergi had stopped trying to physically reprimand him by then; Wolfgang, in spite of (or perhaps because of) the constant bullying he received was quite tall and strong for his age.

He remembered his surprise when he opened the car door to see uncle reclining in the red leather backseat smoking a cigar. Wolfgang hated those damn things, it was one thing to be the head of a crime family, but it was another to make a whole fucking production of it.

He offered Wolfgang a drag as they pulled away from the school. Wolfgang had seen the fear in Felix's eyes are he walked towards the car, but he had been smart enough not to say anything, Felix knew how these things worked almost as well as he did.

He had accepted, rolling the foul tasting smoke around his mouth, proud that he had not choked. His uncle was watching him with cool appraisal; Wolfgang had to repress his nausea at how much he looked like his father when he did that.

They had driven for over twenty minutes in complete silence, Wolfgang watching the progression of architecture as they drove by. The old brick buildings that predominated in his school area disappeared behind the new blue glass skyscrapers and large concrete office buildings with financial company logos in neat lines by the doors. Those buildings, in turn, slowly giving away to squat little townhouses hunkering on the scrubby yellow grass, until they finally pulled up an empty warehouse on the outskirts of the city.

He remembered the sickening lurch of understanding in his stomach before they even walked through the utilitarian steel door, before he saw the man tied to a chair, surrounded by thick plastic sheeting, the bottles of bleach sitting beside a pillar. Before he felt the weight of the M9 his uncle placed in his hand.

His voice was not as steady as he hoped it would be when he asked, "What did he do?"

"Does it matter?" asked his uncle, he was standing behind Wolfgang in a charade of fatherliness. The driver of the car -what was his name again? - was leaning casually on a pillar.

Yes, thought Wolfgang. He recalled his father's bloated red face, yes it matters. He didn't respond however, just took a step forward, plastic crackling under his feet.

"He was stealing from me," his uncle was lighting another cigar. "A disturbingly common problem, but one that has to be dealt with."

The message was clear: this would not be the last time Wolfgang would have to do this.

He leveled the gun to the man's head. Wolfgang could not remember what the man looked like to this day, all he could remember was the fleeting thought that perhaps he should be more nervous looking, that what if his uncle found out that this was not his first time killing, before he clenched his finger on the trigger, eyes shutting instinctively against the noise.

It was only as he was wiping his prints from the gun, watching one of his uncle's men wrap the corpse in the plastic sheeting, feeling strangely hollow that he realized he had passed the test.

Steiner had been viciously envious of him; Wolfgang had been allowed to kill before him. It was a year and a half before he would undergo the same initiation, Wolfgang thought he understood why when Steiner had returned to the mansion, his eyes glittering, and gun still in his hand like a trophy.

Sergi had a well-masked air of unease about him. Steiner liked killing. Wolfgang, and his uncle, he thought with a bitter twist of his mouth, did it out of necessity but there was no joy in it. Perhaps that was why of all the people he had killed, Sergi haunted him the most. Like it or not, they had understood each other.

Some of his older cousins had taken him out to bar after, even though it was only late afternoon. They had taken shots of vodka and watched football; they didn't talk about what he had just done.

Wolfgang was well and truly wasted by the time his cousins were ushering him through the door of some nightclub, nodding at the bouncer as he did. He didn't remember much after that, just laughing and spinning giddily under the flashing lights. Kissing a girl in a pageboy and a striped dress, her make up smudged around her eyes with sweat. The feeling of her grabbing his hand and pulling him into the dirty alley behind the club, his cousins hooting in the background. Faintly recalling pressing her up against the wall, hands fumbling and awkward under her dress. Unzipping his jeans, her hands searching her purse for a condom. He didn't even remember what it felt like to be inside her.

When Felix had asked about his first time, he hadn't told him that part.

Sighing, Wolfgang looked at the clock again 00:36. Fuck. He rolled over on his side, and suddenly was no longer in his bed. Fuck, thought Wolfgang again, this was not good.

Kala was sitting at her desk facing away from him, still awake even though it must have been close to sunrise in Mumbai. She had a pair of white earbuds in her ears her laptop humming quietly, the fan causing the stacks of paper beside it to flutter softly. She was singing under her breath, some Bollywood song, wiggling a little in her chair to the beat.

A week ago he might have been temped to sneak up behind her, pinch her sides; laugh at her surprised little squeak. Something in her innocence brought out a lightness in him. But now, things were different, she had been touched by his world, he could not pretend to be harmless.

She knew he was there, of course. He heard her ear-buds clatter on the wooden desk.

"Umm...hello," she was looking at him uncomfortably. He had forgotten he was naked again.

He made a show of pulling her sheets up to his chest. "You are up late."

She brushed a wisp of hair out of her face. "I was researching, I think I might have found something for Will: a pilot study using a combination of anti-psychotics on dopamine non-responsive schizophrenics. "

"Read it to me," he said before he could stop himself.

She looked startled, "It is a 36 page journal article including supplementary materials."

"I could use a bedtime story." Mostly he just wanted to hear her voice.

She hesitated. He was already regretting being there - you are supposed to be avoiding her - he berated himself. Then with a little sigh she moved her chair closer to her bed, placing her computer on her lap.

"It will be really boring for you. Did you even take any chemistry in school?"

"Not if I could help it," he closed his eyes, just a minute more then he would leave.

He heard her sigh again and then, softly: "Introduction: Schizophrenia is a psychological disorder that may be characterized by vivid hallucinations, usually beginning with perceived auditory anomalies..."

The tension drained slowly from his body; she could have been speaking gibberish for all he cared, he wasn't listening for meaning. He thought of his mother again, swaying softly, some Italian opera playing on the radio that she always kept by the dingy kitchen window. She would try to explain to him that it didn't matter what they were saying, that it was in how the tenor would draw out the vowels, how the alto soprano would caress the hard letter 'C' and then softly let her breath escape as the letter 'T"...

It must have been quite sometime later before he surfaced from a deep, deep sleep, and then it was only for a moment. The gentle brush of a hand on his cheek, fingertips just touching the corner of his mouth made him want to reach out and stop her from leaving. But he couldn't find his arms, and he was so warm, it was so peaceful here. The last thing that he knew before slipping under again was the faint smell of jasmine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone that has left comments and Kudos! Next chapter is up on Wednesday :)


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

This was absolutely ridiculous, fumed Kala. It was almost midnight, she was dressed in the least conspicuous clothing she owned (a loose black knee-length tunic and somewhat sedate floral leggings), and she was sneaking around the sample reception bay of Rasal Pharmaceuticals with a mini-icebox full of rat liver biopsies.

She had tried to put this off as long as she could. The lab equipment that Nomi had been able to purchase for her had been capable of basic analysis, but even Dr. Mezker's substantial bank accounts would not be able to cover the cost of most of the equipment she needed to test Will's drug.

"Two hundred thousand dollars?!" Nomi had exclaimed, "For a machine the size of a printer?"

Kala had only nodded, she had been working in the industry long enough to become completely desensitized to the cost of lab equipment. "And that is only for the first half of the analysis, I still need to use the Bio-analyzer and a spectrometer after that."

In the end, Nomi had agreed, the only solution was to borrow Rasal Pharmaceutical's tech. It had been fairly easy at first, Kala staying late a few days a week in the analysis room, her security card giving her easy access, Nomi looping the security camera footage and helping her wipe the history of whatever machine she was using. But then ten of her rats had experienced massive acute liver failure after a treatment that was supposed to be harmless, and the machine she needed to figure out why, was of course in the priority access only Molecular Biology Department.

Thus, there she was, breaking and entering. Or rather, bumbling around on the premises and attempting to enter, which she couldn't because the housekeeping door, which the head janitor (a large cheerful man, that every one called Mr. Marty for some reason) always left open, was locked.

Belatedly, she recalled that Mr. Marty had taken the day off. His second in command, a somewhat dour man she could never remember the name of, was definitely the kind to lock doors.

Kala tugged on the large padlock experimentally. It didn't budge. She uttered a long stream of words that would have greatly scandalized her mother. Her rat livers were defrosting, her stomach was churning with anxiety and she was very much not in the mood for this. She was just about to give up her short-lived career in crime when she felt a presence behind her and froze.

A man's hand deftly brushed through her hair while the other went, after the briefest of hesitations, over her mouth to stifle her scream. Kala was fully panicking when she recognized the distinctive scent of lake water, faint cigarette smoke and hotel shampoo. She stopped struggling and whirled to face him.

"You didn't know it was me?" he asked at the same time she hissed, "What are you doing here?" and then surprised, "What are you wearing?"

He was looking distinctly un-Wolfgang like in a cozy looking light blue knit sweater with artistic little green and white zigzags and what looked suspiciously like deer. The colour really brought out his eyes.

Wolfgang cringed slightly as if he could hear her thoughts. Possibly he could. "It is a long story."

Then he brightened slightly, and waved the bobby pin he had taken from her hair. "I am here because you need a lock picked."

Kala blinked. "You can actually pick a lock with a bobby pin? I thought that was only in movies."

He didn't answer, just indicated that she should move aside. As she did she caught a whiff of something sweet. Curious, she followed the scent back to Switzerland where she prowled around the small cottage kitchen to investigate.

"Wolfgang, are you baking?" He continued to ignore her, bending the bobby pin he had stolen, and inserting it into the lock.

Kala heard it click and the lock popped open. It took less than a minute. He stood up and brushed the gravel off his knees. "All good."

He made as if to leave, Kala reached out and caught his arm. "Could you maybe stay for a bit longer?" she lowered her eyes to stare at her feet, "I am a bit nervous." She also wanted to get to the bottom of this sweater business, but that was really not the main priority, honestly.

He hesitated, then nodded and followed her into the dark hallway. Kala had discovered this entrance completely by accident. The building had previously been a boarding school of some sort; the equipment rooms were all converted kitchens and pantries. Convenient to Rasal Pharmaceuticals because they were dry and climate controlled areas, convenient for her because they all had backdoor access via housekeeping. Come to think of it, it was a rather egregious security fault. Of course all the equipment rooms had state of the art security alarms and cameras, but Nomi took care of those for her.

The lights flickered on automatically as she walked in to the room. She felt Nomi give her the all clear from her bedroom in San Francisco. Wolfgang was poking curiously at a large incubator in the corner of the room.

Kala suddenly felt the nervous knot of energy in her stomach subside. She was home.

"How long do we have?" asked Wolfgang watching as she began to unpack the large backpack she was wearing, neatly lining up boxes of pipet tips and tubes.

"A while," Kala sighed, "It will probably take me 4 hours to run all of these."

"Can I help in any way?"

"No, just keep a look out." Kala settled comfortably into a chair and snapped on a pair of gloves and began pipetting. He was still and silent for about twenty minutes before she heard him begin to shift restlessly. She smiled to herself.

"I always thought science would be more glamorous than this," he said at last.

"So did I, when I first started." She snapped a tube shut. "I thought that I would discover the cure to cancer, or eradicate AIDs when I first accepted this job."

She smiled slightly remembering her naivety. "The reality is much less exciting than I imagined, much more pipetting much less award acceptance speeches"

Wolfgang settled into a rolling chair, "I actually felt a similar way about my profession."

"Lock-smithing?"

"Organized crime."

"Ah."

He laughed softly at her expression. "You see my uncle meant for me to replace my father, as a box man." He grimaced slightly, "Safe cracking is like any skill, some people have more natural talent than others, but in the end it was mostly practice. I would sit for days, months even, in front of a safe until I had mastered it. "

"Sounds difficult."

"It was, but I was lucky. Box-men are considered valuable, so my uncle never sent me on too many jobs that would get me killed. Many that worked for him could not say the same."

A sugary burning smell was beginning to fill the air. Wolfgang's lips twitched like he was hiding a grin. Kala looked around alarmed, and they were back in his kitchen.

Kala gestured to the oven, "Aren't you going to get that?"

Wolfgang's mouth twitched again. "Not yet."

Kala appraised him for a moment before turning to load her samples in the centrifuge. "Does this have anything to do with the sweater?"

Wolfgang sighed and settled back into the hard chair, "Yes."

Kala gestured for him to continue.

He sighed again. "If you must know, I lost a bet."

"A bet?"

"With Felix twelve years ago." Wolfgang shook his head slowly. "I should be grateful his terms weren't worse."

She looked slightly apprehensive. "The terms being?"

"On every July 13th, for the rest of my life, I would have to wear whatever he told me to for the whole day."

Kala stared at him.

He shrugged. "We were fourteen, Felix thought I lacked a sense of adventure when it came to style." He shook his head, "Still does."

Kala eyed him up, "Could be worse, the sweater isn't even that terrible."

"Oh usually it is worse, Felix is still too sick to go to shopping, so he just told me to go to Brienz and buy whatever piece of clothing I hated the most." He shrugged, "I was this or the polka-dot tie."

"And what does all this have to do with you starting a fire in your oven?"

"His second term was that I make him chocolate chip cookies; at the time that was his favourite food."

Kala's eyes were starting to water slightly from the smoke, "Still doesn't explain the fire."

Wolfgang smirked impishly, and finally reached around her to turn off the oven, "He didn't say they had to be edible chocolate chip cookies."

Kala rolled her eyes at their childishness. She was typing rapidly on a keyboard, a large analog looking machine whirring to life beside her. "What was the bet?"

He shook his head, "There was this big scary Russian guy, Anton, that worked for Sergi. Felix bet that he could get him drunk enough to do ballet, I bet he couldn't. As it turns out Felix is very charming. Unfortunately, after the ballet came drunken rage. I ended up getting an empty bottle of vodka smashed on the back of my head. I was concussed for three weeks and I had to stitch up the cuts from the glass on my chest myself. Still have the scars, although they are very faint."

Kala was torn between horror and amusement. She winced, "I can't imagine anyone would let you get away with that, you were only a child."

Wolfgang laughed a little bitterly, "I was never really a child. I think that is why Felix and I got up to so much shit. Why we still do, and why I still let him pester me into fulfilling the terms of the bet every year."

He watched as Kala began to transfer small volumes of liquid into empty containers.

"In the movies, it is all big guns and high speed car chases. And to be fair, some of it is, but you cannot be serious all the time. Death is messy and undignified, it can be funnier than anything, constant risk of death even more so. The tension of it, but also the boredom, I think you either play games with each other, you act like stupid children, or you break."

Kala felt more than saw his discomfort, they were skirting around the edges of the subject neither of them wanted to talk about but desperately need to: the events at his uncle's mansion. She changed the topic.

"I had a concussion once, but I was very young at the time." She shot him a sly look over her shoulder "I tried to ride an elephant at the zoo."

He chuckled, "And you fell off?"

"Well no," Kala paused start a timer on her phone. "I fell out of a tree."

Wolfgang raised an eyebrow. "Go on."

She sighed and tossed her dirty gloves into a biohazard container. "I was not an adventurous child, but I really loved elephants. One of my Aunties gave me a toy elephant for my fourth birthday and I carried that thing everywhere, I mean everywhere. Even in the bathtub." She smiled at the memory, her parents futilely trying to wrest the toy from her stubby little fingers. "Anyways, my parents took Daya and I to the zoo one day, and I lost it slightly when I saw the elephant enclosure. They were so much bigger and prettier than I thought they would be. Daya and my parents were buying ice cream from a street vendor, and I thought it would be a good idea to climb over the walls of the enclosure. Of course I was quite short so the only way I figured I could get on the elephant's back was to climb a tree over the fence and then lower myself down." Kala laughed. "I quite forgot in the heat of the moment that I didn't know how to climb a tree."

She laughed again, lost in half- recalled childhood memories. Wolfgang seemed content, sitting with one leg propped up on the side of a lab bench, so she kept talking. He was a good listener, nodding and asking questions at the right time, but every now and then their eyes met and she would stumble slightly over her words.

She could sense that he was trying to remain aloof, friendly but not involved. She idly wondered how that was going for him. They had moved closer together in the time she had been talking. Her mouth suddenly felt dry, awkward silence settled between them.

"Wolfgang -"

" - I don't want to talk about it." He interrupted, swallowing hard. Perhaps it had not been her mouth that was dry. "I made my choices, and I knew the consequences. Things are better this way."

Kala searched for a response, but what could she say? That it didn't matter that he killed people? That she did not share the violent self-disgust he sometimes gave into?

She was still engaged to Rajan, which was proof enough that he had no future with her. Not in the way she wanted at least. The soft beeping of the alarm on her phone saved her from having to formulate a response. She turned away quickly and began to unload her samples.

"Almost done, just a minute more," she said.

Wolfgang tensed. "There is someone here."

"What?" she stalled her movements.

"A few floors up. I heard the elevator start moving."

Kala swore and began to move faster, typing rapidly into a computer and inserting a USB. Wolfgang was deadly calm beside her. Nomi was drumming her fingers nervously beside her mouse.

They both heard it now, footsteps only one floor up. Kala felt herself break into a cold sweat. She had tried not to think about the consequences of being caught; told herself that nothing bad would happen.

Wolfgang took over when her fingers became clumsy with nervousness, his mind enveloping hers, steady and methodical. He was nervous too, she sensed, but instead of making him shaky and error prone it made him sharper. He neatly tucked the samples into her backpack and then walked her to the door.

They were halfway down the last hallway, when a voice called "Kala?" They froze. It was Rajan. This revelation was accompanied by a quickly stifled white hot flash of rage and possessiveness that made him clench her fists, before Wolfgang was gone and she was blinking and confused as Rajan approached.

"Kala?" he repeated. "What are you still doing here?"

He ended up driving her home. He had seemed to accept her stuttered story about coming back to put in some extra work and falling asleep her desk.

"I am here for very similar reasons," he said holding the door open for her as they exited the main lobby.

"You are?" asked Kala hoping her voice was calm and even.

He just smiled at her, "Yes, you see I was dreaming, all comfortable in bed, and then I started having these visions, you know."

"No, really?"

"Yes! Visions of this molecule I had been working on, so when I woke up I rushed to the lab to try out some simulations."

Kala could not suppress a small rush of affection at this. They always had science in common, no matter what else, despite her not feeling what she should for him; they always could talk about science.

They were still discussing the finer details of his simulations when he pulled up to her home. The restaurant was dark, the street was empty, and Kala felt an overwhelming wave of exhaustion hit her.

She was just reaching over to open the car door when Rajan stopped her by placing a hand on her knee. Another wave of fury, accompanied by the smell of burnt sugar, caused her to turn a little sharper than she intended. He quickly removed his hand.

"Sorry," he smiled apologetically.

She attempted a smile back, "I'm just tired that's all, what do you need?"

He brushed his hand through his hair, "Did you get the email about the big drug conference in Italy?"

Kala nodded.

"Well, we have decided to sponsor two scientists to go and I would like you to be one of them," he looked a bit uncomfortable, "I had, um, I had planned for our honeymoon to be in Italy actually, just before the conference. Not that you have to marry me to go," he added hastily. "Just thought I would let you know in case your were interested."

Kala felt another wave of exhaustion threaten to take her. "I will let you know," she said finally, before getting out of the car and wishing him a goodnight.

 

Wolfgang pressed his aching forehead to the cold glass window. It was raining softly outside; he could hear the gentle rush of water sliding down the eavestroughing. Felix had gone to sleep hours ago, staying up just late enough to force him to wear that stupid sweater for the whole day, before Julia ushered him off bed.

This was going to be more difficult than he thought. It was one thing to say he would terminate any non-platonic relationship between him and Kala; it was another thing entirely to see that through. The connection didn't help either; he couldn't hide anything from her, not well at least. He had desperately not wanted to feel jealousy when Rajan had shown up; he would be the worst sort of hypocrite if he did anything to screw up their engagement. But the thought of him touching her, he had to grit his teeth to maintain control. With dawning horror he realized that if they did get married, he would have to witness her wedding night. Suddenly, getting lobotomized didn't seem like such a bad fate.

He began to rhythmically knock his head against the glass. Fuck. So that was his option, sit back and watch her fall in love (or at least try to) with that guy, or...

"Do you know what is a good cure for a headache?" Lito was posed casually on the couch behind him. Wolfgang ignored him. "Sex."

"Go away."

"I would,"Lito paused to groan melodramatically. "But someone keeps agonizing over this woman, you know, it is very distracting."

Lito didn't look so good, observed Wolfgang, he was thinner than before, as if he had been forgetting to eat, and there were dark shadows under his eyes. He was sitting on the balcony; it was a bright day in Mexico City, Hernando and Daniela were snuggled up in bed.

"I am fine," he said in response to Wolfgang's appraisal. "Really."

"Yeah," Wolfgang sat down across from him and propped his feet up on a footstool. "Me too."

They stared at each other for a long time, at an impasse, before they both started to laugh.

"Ok," Lito threw his hands up, "Ok, I am miserable. I have not got a single job offer since I came out, I cannot leave my house without being mobbed by paparazzi, and Hernando and Daniela are treating me like a baby, tiptoeing around trying not to hurt my feelings. I don't feel like a man anymore, I hate it." He rubbed his face tiredly, "Your turn."

Wolfgang stared resolutely at the ceiling, "I murdered my entire family, and I don't feel half as bad about it as I should. I have no idea what kind of life is waiting for me in Berlin, and while I should be focusing on more important things I can't stop thinking about how I want to ruin Kala's chances at a perfectly good marriage. I am running out of reasons why I shouldn't. And now I am sitting around, doing fuck all, talking to myself about my feelings." He looked at Lito, "Beer?"

"God yes."

Wolfgang went to the fridge and after a moment's hesitation, tossed a can at Lito. Lito caught it. They both looked mildly perplexed.

"How the hell does that work?" demanded Lito.

"Honestly, I try not to think about it," replied Wolfgang.

"Great," Lito sighed and opened the can, "I am losing all sense of reality."

Wolfgang raised his beer in salute. Lito took a hesitant sip.

"Weird." He concluded, "I can taste it, but it does not feel like alcohol." He reclined back into the couch. "I disagree by the way."

"About?"

"About Kala's marriage being a perfectly good one." Lito clarified. "I was once in a movie series La Corazon –"

"- Life is not a movie, Lito."

"Mm, Hernando would say that art is just a more colourful depiction of everyday life, that perhaps it is even more accurate a reflection of the human soul because it can speak truths that people do not normally wish to hear."

Wolfgang blinked. "Ok fine, what is your point?"

"That a marriage without love, even if there is respect and understanding, is not necessarily a good one."

Wolfgang pondered this, "I wouldn't know," he said at last. "I don't think I have ever seen a happy marriage."

If Lito pitied him he hid it well.

"My parent have been married for over thirty years, when I think of how I would want my marriage to be I think of them. " He smiled a little sadly. Wolfgang knew his parents had not talked to him since he came out.

"They have such passion between them, I remember they would get into these raucous fights. Screaming and yelling across the house, they both have a love for drama, you see. But they would always make up, and my father would sneak out of the house to this little street vendor that served my mother's favourite carnitas, and bring them back as a peace offering. No matter how bad the fight, she would always forgive him after that. We would all sit by the TV and watch a movie together, eating carnitas, and just like that everything was good again."

"So, the secret to a good marriage is to fight and then buy your partner a braised meat dish as an apology?"

Lito shook his head, "Listen, if you are not passionately in love then you do not care enough to fight like that, instead you let it fester, let your anger and indifference build up walls between you until you are both bitter and sad and do not know why."

Wolfgang sighed. "I don't see how it would be any better between Kala and me. I don't really do relationships."

Lito waved his hands in disgust, "And, I don't really do cross continental 'pep' talks, and yet here we are!"

He had a fair point, Wolfgang conceded.

Wolfgang stretched his arms; it was getting pretty late. Almost unconsciously he brushed against the minds of the rest of the cluster lightly, like testing the strings of a guitar. Nomi was meeting with a tall skinny man named Bug, muttering some gibberish about technology. Riley was sitting in the galley of some ship, losing a card game to a large mustachioed cook. He only touched Will for a second before moving on, shuddering at the dizzying numbness he felt when he did. Will was sleeping. Capheus was fixing something on the Van Damn humming softly; Sun was sitting next to him, and also laying in her hard prison bunk in Seoul, smiling. Kala, Kala was curled up under tangerine sheets, the sun just peaking into her window warming her skin, making her stretch luxuriously.

Lito was watching him with some amusement. "You are going to feel it, every time he touches her, Just like you were there, like you were her..."

Wolfgang glared viciously at him.

"... but even worse, you are going to know about every cute little early morning breakfast they have together, your going to have to watch her go to him when she discovers something in that lab of hers, with that big bright smile you are trying not thinking about." He shrugged, "Seems a lot to give up."

"For her safety, it is nothing"

He eyed Wolfgang, "You know your life would make a very interesting movie..."

Wolfgang was seriously considering punching him now, but before he could do anything he heard Julia open the door to the cottage and Lito was gone.

"Wolfgang?" Julia rounded the corner to the living room. "Woah, uh, hi. Sorry to interrupt your staring contest with the couch," she waved a bit awkwardly, "I just got off the phone with Nomi about an hour ago, I just wanted to clear the final plans with you."

After much deliberation, He and Nomi had decided to loop Julia into Will's rescue plan. "After all, " said Nomi, "We will need a nurse."

"Right," Wolfgang attempted to rearrange his features into a less venomous expression. They had not told Julia about being sensate, figuring the less she knew the safer she was.

She sat down across from him, where Lito had been. The rest of the cluster already knew the had gathered in Riley's tiny cabin a few days ago, while Wolfgang and Nomi took turns pacing around.

"The best option is Spain," began Nomi. "It is a closer to Portugal than I would like, but it will do for the short term."

"Bilbao is populous and has an adequate tourism industry," continued Wolfgang, slightly ill at ease with the eyes of the whole cluster on him, especially Kala, who was hiding into the shadows by the closed cabin door, expression unreadable. "You will not stand out Riley, although you should probably dye your hair to make it less visible. I have arranged for a friend." Wolfgang's lip curled slightly. "To meet you at the docks, he will have money, a wheelchair for Will, drugs and IDs for the both of you. Do not trust him, he is a low class felon, but he does his job well. Another friend will drop you off two blocks from the apartment we rented for you. Do not tell either of them where you are actually going. "

"You have interesting friends," commented Lito. Wolfgang ignored him.

Nomi took over. "My friend Julia is a nurse, she will meet you there, under a different name, she thinks Will is a victim of some sort of corporate conspiracy, she will be discrete."

And so it was arranged. The conversation turned to Whispers and taking down BPO, but none of them quite knew where to start.

"I have just been so focused on making sure Will is safe," said Nomi, her voice betraying her exhaustion.

Capheus, took her hands, "You have done so well, we would not be alive without you."

"We will find him," Sun's hands formed fists, "and we will destroy him, together."

"Wolfgang?" Julia was waving at him again, "You ok? You look a little more grumpy than usual."

"I'm fine, just a headache, where were we?" With that he forced himself back to the present, checking and re-checking that everything was in order. Julia to her credit was very meticulous. Might have done well in organized crime, if it wasn't for the chattiness.

"Have you told Felix that you are leaving?"

"Yes," Julia snorted, "He was heartbroken until I informed him that his new caretaker is a blonde and gives great massages."

"Felix likes blondes."

"So I gathered," Her mouth twitched with amusement, but she didn't elaborate.

"He will be ok though?" Wolfgang couldn't help ask.

Julia nodded confidently, "Oh yeah, he is healing up great. Should be ready to travel in a few days, though you have to make sure he doesn't do anything too strenuous for at least two months, I think my graphic description of what happens if you perforate an intestine put him off but he is a wily one."

Wolfgang couldn't argue with that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for sticking with me thus far! Next chapter is up on Sunday, is going to be a BIG one for Kalagang :) Comments and reviews welcome as always!


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

"You promise the new physiotherapist is pretty?" Felix was sprawled on the couch watching her upside down as Julia packed away her medical supplies.

Julia just rolled her eyes, "I will miss you too, dumbass." She reached into her cross-body bag and pulled out a small notebook, which she passed to Wolfgang.

"Instruction manual for that one," she jabbed a thumb at Felix. "Written by hand since you don't seem to ever check your email. My number is in the back, you can always call me if you need anything."

"Be careful," murmured Wolfgang so Felix wouldn't overhear. He was already feeling guilty about getting her involved.

"I always am," she replied giving him a quick hug and blowing a kiss at Felix before turning to leave. "I'll be seeing you again," she promised them both.

Wolfgang and Felix would be staying in Brienz a little longer; they had rented the cottage for two more weeks so that Felix could start physiotherapy with Nurse Felder, on Julia's recommendation.

He was standing by the window watching her car pull away, thinking that today he might convince Felix to come to Brienz, take a little drive, when a sudden, vicious, ache his chest knocked him over.

"Wolfie?" Felix was staring at him from the couch. "Are you ok?"

He managed a nod and muttered something about going to the bathroom, locking the door behind him before he was stumbling onto a ship somewhere on the Atlantic filled with terrible fear.

 

His heart had stopped.

Will Gorski's heart had stopped. And in that moment so had Riley's and Kala's and everyone else. Thank the gods Riley had brought the AED from the ambulance; thank the gods Nomi had used one before. Thank the gods it worked. But as Kala stood, there the room curiously blurry, as Nomi listened to the calm voice from the machine, as Sun held Riley's shaking hands steady and as Wolfgang hung back tense, furious, all she could think, curiously, her mind fixating and wobbling with shock was that they were all thanking different gods. Or not thanking anyone at all, she amended, watching Wolfgang pacing like a caged animal.

She called in sick to work. Told her concerned parents it was just some really bad cramps and that she needed sleep. Kala had never taken a sick day before, she honestly felt a bit guilty about lying, but in a way, she justified, she was sick.

The first few hours were awful. Will kept seizing violently, his eyes would fly open and his pupils were tiny pinpricks, darting back and forth wildly. Riley wept as she wrapped a cloth over his eyes just in case he could actually see anything. Kala had honestly thought he was going to die. The chasm that opened up in her at that thought was unfathomable.

Worse still they didn't know what caused this reaction, while Will could not currently be considered healthy, he had not been having any adverse reaction to the sedatives that Riley had been using until now. The symptoms were common enough if it was an overdose; perhaps that was all it was. Will had been developing an anomalously high tolerance to the drugs; Riley had to keep increasing the dosage. They worried about that.

And inevitably, selfishly, several hours into her vigil, the sight of Will made her think of Wolfgang, and how none of them were safe. A quiet sob escaped her at the thought of someone showing up at his little cottage sanctuary, catching him unawares. Suddenly she was overwhelmed, the distress of the entire cluster pressing down on her. She turned blindly away from Will's bedside, just needing to be somewhere else, anywhere else; she ended up in Wolfgang's kitchen.

He was talking quietly to Felix when she appeared beside him. She was barely aware of anything, just numbly following him as he excused himself, saying something about making a call, softly closing the door to his bedroom behind them.

"Is Will going to be ok?" He didn't need to ask of course, he knew was much as she did how uncertain the situation was.

"I'm sorry," murmured Kala, "I didn't mean to come here." She was aware that she was crying again, touching her wet face with distant curiosity. Wolfgang's hand twitched slightly as if he wanted to touch her and then thought better of it. They sat side by side on the little window seat that faced the valley, Kala trying to stifle her sobs.

"Thank you," he said finally.

Kala looked up surprised, trying not to sniffle. "For what?"

"For feeling what I could not," he looked down. "I know you are feeling what Riley is feeling right now, you are crying for her suffering as much as you are for your own." His fingers curled into fists, "You did the same for me, when Felix was sick."

She thought about that. "Its not something you should thank me for, I didn't even realize I was doing it." She tried to steady her breath. "It felt like my own."

Even now, there were moments that she would suddenly feel a tug at the edges of her mind, a little nudge that sent her emotions in one direction or the other. It was not easy to tell if they came from someone else in the cluster or they were her own.

"Don't you feel the same things?"

Wolfgang shook his head. "I felt when Nomi started doing CPR on Will." The fingers of his left hand started to shake slightly. "I felt the pain in Riley's arms, and faintly Will's ribs cracking, like I was the one doing it."

He closed his hand into a fist to hide the tremors. Kala was not even aware of the moment that she chose to take his hand; just that she did, gently loosening his fist. Wolfgang didn't say anything, his expression conflicted, the soft grey light from the window made him look younger. He had a certain sweetness about his face, thought Kala, something about the shape of his eyes, an incongruous innocence that couldn't be destroyed no matter how violent or bloodstained his history. She caught herself leaning towards him and stopped herself.

Life was so fragile. It was easy to forget, caught up as they were in their own lives, how much danger they all were in. What if he was in Will's place? Kala wondered, what if she had to sit there and watch him waste away? Or even worse would Wolfgang even be alive? Would he have made the same choice as Will? No, no a little voice in her whispered, somewhere in the darkest part of her mind, no he would have just shot himself.

Kala realized she was still holding his hand, and let go. She backed unsteadily away, "I'm sorry," she said again, "I am not really in control right now." In the back of her head, Riley was crying again, Nomi was staring dully at a wall while Amanita flitted around her. God this was getting out of hand.

Wolfgang seemed to lose the what ever silent war he was fighting. She had backed up against the corner of his bedside table; he followed her there and pulled her against his chest. He was a little awkward about it at first, he wasn't good at comforting people, remembered Kala, but eventually he relaxed a little, rested his cheek on her head. She could hear him softly murmuring comforting nonsense, the soft rumble of air entering and exiting his lungs.

After a long while she pulled away. His jaw was twitching slightly. Under different circumstances it would have been funny; his resolve to remain distant, her engagement to another man. They already knew each other better then almost anyone else.

Kala was working up the courage to point this out, when she was pulled back to Riley.

Back on the boat Will was having another seizure, his fifth today. Kala, using Riley's hands, fought to stay calm as she drew back on the plunger of a syringe. The bottle was almost empty; Riley's panic was metallic in her mouth. Firmly she took a hold of Will's arm, and injected him with the anticonvulsant. She did not linger on the thought of how good at this she had become. How the thought of needles used to make her squeamish, but now she felt nothing but relief as the spasms subside.

Kala forced herself to look at the situation analytically. They were still a few days from Ria de Bilbao. Sven had ferried Riley and Will all the way to London, where he convinced a cousin of his, captain of a massive cargo ship which made stops all the way down the European coast, to drop them off in Spain, the destination chosen by Wolfgang and Nomi.

Bilbao couldn't come one second sooner, thought Kala eyeing the depleted drug supply.

"It will be close, but it should last," she assured Riley. "And Nomi and I arranged for there to be different drugs for him when you land. Strong anesthetic, they kind they use for medically induced comas." She grimaced apologetically. "You and Julia are going to have to set up a catheter and feeding tube"

"Great," said Riley. "Will really add to the whole romantic pleasure cruise vibe we got going on."

Kala comfortingly squeezed her hand. "I am so sorry Riley."

They both sat quietly for a moment, watching Will; even in unconsciousness, he would stir, cry out. He had lost so much weight, his skin loose, sinking in over his high cheekbones. The shadows under his eyes looked painful, dark, spreading under his eyelashes, reminding Kala of blood poisoning.

She took Riley's hand and felt her lean tiredly against her shoulder.

"What are you going to do about it?"

"Mm?" Kala was surprised to hear Riley speak. "About what?"

"You and Wolfgang."

Kala sighed a little. "It hardly seems important, with all that is going on."

Riley looked a little surprised, "It is your life, of course it is important." She turned a little so she could look Kala in the eyes. "You aren't going to marry that Rajan guy are you?"

"I don't know," Kala wanted to throw her hands up in frustration. "My parents have sacrificed so much for me, for my education, if I married Rajan they would be so happy. That should be more important than whether I love him or not."

"But?" prodded Riley.

"But nothing," Kala said unconvincingly. "Many people do not end up with people that they love, and many people are in much worse situations then mine. It is selfish to want more." Kala looked back at Will's pale face, "There is no reason to suppose that Wolfgang and I would have a future together." She laughed a little helplessly, "To throw away everything that my family has hoped for me, for a man that does not even speak my language, that lives millions of kilometers away, that I haven't even met in person, what sort of life could we have?"

"I don't know," Riley reached out and stroked Will's hair. "Maybe a very good one." She sighed very softly, "Don't you owe it to yourself to find out?"

Kala didn't quite know what to say to that. They were quiet again. The wind must have picked up outside. The constant rush of waves breaking against the hull of the ship had increased in volume.

"I loved Magnus with every fibre of my being." Riley began, "It would have been smarter to love someone else, someone that would have taken me far away from Iceland. But it did not matter, because when we were together, the rest of the world disappeared." She shook her head. "Magnus died in a car crash, Kala, a car crash in the winter. You know how common that is? How statistically insignificant? He should have died in a blaze of glory, riding his damn pony into an erupting steam vent. He should have stood before the sky on fire with streamers of blue and green just smiling up at the stars..." she let out a little huff of laughter. "He died in a car crash, and he didn't even like cars."

She looked up a Kala, "And just like that he was gone, the love that was my whole life was gone, and somehow I was still alive. I was so angry at first. Then I just wanted to be numb. I wanted to die. Some days I still do. But when this connection, this experience came I found that somehow I could not. In the end it had all been a sham, my privacy, the numbness; they were nothing but shreds of wrapping paper to a hurricane. I did not plan to love anyone ever again, how could I? But I love Will, and I don't know if somewhere I made a choice to or if it was inevitable, it doesn't matter. When we first touched, Kala, it was so terrifying and beautiful. I cannot describe it; I don't have the right words. But I only know that I cannot be numb anymore, I cannot be safe."

She reached over and brushed Will's cheek. "If he dies like this, he will have died like how I was trying to. Escaping a reality where there was only pain. An addict's death." She blinked back tears. "That is not how he deserves to go. But if he does I will not regret my choices, just how in time I didn't regret loving Magnus, because to love like that, it is worth the pain."

"Aren't you afraid?" Kala whispered.

"Yes." Riley let out a choked laugh. "Petrified."

"Me too," Kala took Riley's skinny hand in hers. "Thank you." She didn't need to say for what.

Kala was a natural procrastinator, she preferred to sit and wait rather that force the answers to big decisions to come to her. Up until now she had gotten away with it. She knew what she had to do, what she was going to have to do all along. How, she wondered, how had she let this go on for so long?

Returning to her body, to Mumbai she felt like a foreigner. It was not where she needed to be. With an almost detached calmness she dialled Rajan's number.

He picked up on the first ring. She went to take a steadying breath, but found she did not need it. "I want to speak with you, can we meet?"

They found themselves in the Hanging Gardens, the sun was setting and monsoon season had started; they had the place almost to themselves. It could have been romantic. She found herself smiling sadly at the irony of that as she paid the rickshaw driver and stepped on the saturated green grass.

He was sitting on a bench outside the garden proper. She sat down next to him. They were silent for a long moment, before he gestured, somewhat nervously, "Do you want to go in?"

She shook her head, gathered her courage then sat straighter, and began. "You are a good man, Rajan."

He grimaced. "I do not think I will like where this is going."

"Probably not." She let out a shaky laugh. "I cannot marry you Rajan, I do not love you." She drew in a deep breath. "It is not anything you did, in fact you have been absolutely wonderful. That is why I had agreed to marry you, I had hoped that I would come to love you, but I do not think I will ever be able to. I think, perhaps I was not meant to."

Rajan, leaned back a little, his face was carefully blank, but she could see the little lines of pain around his eyes. "My father does not believe that we were meant to do something or not to do something, he says that we are the autonomous agents of our own destinies, we make our own choices, that fate is an excuse for the weak and the regretful."

Kala looked at him intently, "And what do you believe?"

"I don't know," Rajan looked helplessly at the grey sky. "All I know is that I want you." He looked down at her, "But you believe in fate? That you were meant to be with someone?"

Kala took his hand in hers. "I do, and I believe it doesn't matter." She smiled softly now, a strange sort of peace filling her. "I only know that I am doing what I must."

In the end he did cry, whether from humiliation or a broken heart she didn't know. That also didn't matter. She hugged him as he left, turning down his polite offer to drive her home.

"It is going to rain Kala," He said, before he left her. They had agreed tentatively to be friends, although they had never really been before. "You should not be outside."

She shook her head. "I will be fine. Go." He was looking at her like she was insane. But she did not care, because she understood. Understood sitting in the pouring rain, in an outdoor café, understood it all.

Without another word she walked into the gardens just as the sound of thunder filled the air.

Wind was rising, whipping her hair about her, making the leaves dance on the hedge animal sculptures that were the pride of Mumbai. They seemed almost alive, like they were running alongside the red dirt paths.

The rain began in earnest, darkening the earth, turning it to mud; soaking Kala to the bone, making the light flower dress cling to her body, and drowning out the sound of traffic. Replacing the sounds of humanity with something more primal, the relentless drumming of the monsoon. She held her arms out before her, the rain was falling so hard now, it should have stung, but she felt only joy.

Laughing she began to run up the path the leafy giraffes, lions and elephants running along side her. She could feel the rest of the cluster, running with her although they did not appear. This was what it was to be a god she decided; there was no us or them, no good guys or bad guys, no web of fate, no rational autonomous choices, just what was and what was not.

He was standing by a dilapidated fountain, as she knew he would be. He must have been doing some sort of exercise, dressed in black shorts and a loose white shirt, running shoes sinking in the muddy pathway. She had lost her sandals somewhere on the path, her legs and dress were spattered a rich, healthy red, warmer than blood.

He was looking perplexed, his brow creased like how it had been when she first appeared to him, singing on stage.

"Kala?" he asked raising his voice over the rain, as she came towards him still running full tilt. "What is happening?" looking about him wildly, lit blood red by the failing light. Then, almost to himself, whispered "Am I dreaming?"

He was only a few meters from her now, but she had no plans of slowing down. She only had a minute to hope he would catch her, before she was barreling into his arms.

Wolfgang, would say later that in his defence, he did catch her, it was just the ground was slippery and when she was kissing him like that...

They tumbled to the ground, her on top, legs still wrapped around his waist. His eyes were very wide and very blue. He gaped at her for a minute, "Kala, what? – Am I dreaming? What is going on? – I -."

She almost kissed him again to shut him up, but since that wasn't really a feasible way to start a relationship, she stood up and offered him her hand.

"No more than I am." And then as he stood hair plastered to his head with rain, and now half covered with mud, she broke out into a smile. "I ended my engagement to Rajan."

"Kala, you can't-" He began, a stubborn frown starting between his eyebrows. "It is not a good id-"

"Shut up," she said calmly. "Shut up, and sit down." She must have really shocked him, because he did.

They made a truly ridiculous pair, soaking wet and covered in mud, he sitting obediently on the edge of a fountain squinting up at her through the heavy sheets of rain and she towering over him.

"I will talk now and you will listen." She snapped, and although she though she saw him repressing a smile at her ferocity, he pinched his lips together and nodded.

She was nervous now, but she had come too far to turn back. Clenching her hands together to stop them shaking, she raised her voice over the monsoon's din,

"You are an idiot, Wolfgang." Not the most promising start, but Kala took a deep breath and continued. "You are an idiot, if you think you just get to decide my life for me. " He shifted uncomfortably, but she was not even close to done.

"I was going to marry for love, do you understand? I am likely the first woman in my entire family to ever say that. I will never have that choice taken from me, not by my parents, not by Rajan's parents and not by you. "

She raised her head proudly, "I will love whom I must. And even though it would be so much easier if that person were Rajan it is not. I don't know if this is a choice I made or if it is the will of the Gods. I don't even know if this is a good idea, I have not even met you in person; I mean we could be wildly incompatible. My god we have only known each other for less than a month, I don't even know what kind of food you like or your hobbies...Do you even have hobbies?"

He was definitely hiding a smile; she forced herself off that tangent. "The point is I love you. I don't know why or how, or why and how those things don't matter to me, but I do know that. Inevitability or choice, it is you. I think it always will be."

The rain fell heavy between them for several long minutes. He was staring at her, expression guarded.

Kala shifted awkwardly, mud squishing between her toes.

"Uh... you can say something now."

He stared at her for a minute more. And then took her hand so that she was sitting next to him. Her next breath was of cool, dry air, they were sitting on the steps of a closed corner store by a clear mountain lake, it was early evening, and it was very quiet. Wolfgang looked at their clasped hands.

"Kala, I am a really fucked up person."

She tried for lightness, "I know, you showed up naked to my wedding, I mean who does that?"

He smiled, but his eyes were serious. "I don't know if it is in me to give you the kind of life you deserve. I did not grow up in a loving home, like you did, I don't really know how to be in a relationship. I don't think I can be the kind of man your parents would approve of. I don't want you to feel like I have conned you somehow, or promised you more than I can give."

Kala tightened her grip on his hand. "I know what you are, Wolfgang."

"I know, " he said, "Perhaps even more than I do, but I just want to be clear with you."

She nodded. "I don't care, I have faith we will figure it out." She looked up a little shyly at him. "Are you are willing to try?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay tuned - next chapter up on Wednesday! :)


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

Somewhere in the back of his head there was a mustachioed villain, ripped directly from the kind of action movies Felix liked, that was leaning back in his chair and musing, Well, Well, Ms. Dandekar, it seems I have underestimated you.

The rest of his brain wasn't making much fucking sense either.

Wolfgang had just returned home from a run when a shout from Felix's bedroom reminded him that they were out of milk and had been for 'two fucking days Wolfie'. Driving to the convenience store fantasizing about the long bath he was going to take when he got back, he had completely forgotten that he was in the countryside, therefore giving convenience shop owners the inconvenient excuse of being closed on a Sunday. He was turning disgustedly away from the locked shop door when he was hit full force by the most torrential downpour he had ever experienced, and then almost immediately after that by a soaking wet Kala.

He had no comparison for the sight of the Hanging Gardens transformed by the monsoon; he had just assumed it must be some sort of waking dream. He had no way to describe the expression on Kala's face as she leapt into his arms. Just that she was beautiful, so fucking beautiful. The most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He was saved from the embarrassment of actually saying all of that out loud by the feeling of her hands firmly grasping either side of his head and pressing her slippery lips firmly on his.

Wolfgang didn't even feel himself hit the ground, just lost in the blissful relief of having her in his arms. Losing himself to the rapidly blurring lines between their minds, their emotions, sensations, before she pulled back and reality hit him like a brick wall.

And now here he was, sitting in the cool mountain air, Kala looking at him with those damned expressive eyes; the kind that had never had to hide much of anything before. Was this it?

He knew what he should do, what he had planned on doing. And yet, he couldn't. Taking her hand he couldn't help be overwhelmed by the rightness of it. Suddenly, all his reasons to stay away seemed cowardly and foolish; distance wasn't the right way to keep her safe. And honestly he was starting to get the idea that she could fend for herself pretty well.

Trying to rationalize what he felt for her seemed like an impossibility, love didn't feel right, he was uncomfortable around that word anyways, it didn't mean what it was meant to. Besides, it was too small, it didn't encapsulate the absoluteness of their connection, there wasn't a word for it really, and he sure as hell wasn't about to start using phrases like 'became one' and 'each other's soul-mates'.

There was just the truth, sitting there, no matter how he had tried to shove it aside, so inconvenient and so achingly obvious; he was hers and she was his.

Still he tried.

"It doesn't bother you that I have killed people?" he asked. "It should."

Kala chewed her lip, thinking. "We shall be of one mind," she replied at last. "Do you know where that is from?"

He nodded. The wedding, how could he forget?

Their hands were still clasped. "I didn't get to choose, with you, but I felt what you felt when you killed your family." She met his eyes, "I admire you for having the strength to do what needed to be done, and I know what it has cost you. I don't care that you have killed."

"Rajan is a good man, " Wolfgang tried again. "He could give you a big family, a safe and loving home..."

Kala shook her head. "I don't know if I want that, no one ever asked me what I had planned for my future when we first started seeing each other. They just assumed."

She squeezed his hands, forced him to meet her gaze. "I ask again, will you give us a try?"

He opened his mouth to protest again, but she knew just as he did that her didn't have any more excuses. It was almost laughable; he hadn't expected her to fight back. When he had told her to marry Rajan, brimming with self-disgust at what kind of person he was, he had expected her to run as fast as she could.

Yet here she was, not even as some sort of redeeming angel, offering absolution; as his equal, as scared and as filled with longing as he was.

She already knew the answer, but he said it out loud anyways, "Yes. Yes I will give it a try."

And when she smiled, that sweet warm smile that crinkled up the corners of her eyes, he couldn't help but lean in and kiss her again.

This time, they weren't slippery and unsteady from the rain; there were no distractions. Her lips were warm and slightly chapped from the wind, one hand firmly in his. He buried his hand in her soft hair, felt her shaking slightly as his thumb brushed over her cheek. Wolfgang tried to memorize this, darkness would come, it was inevitable, but in this moment there was nothing but warmth and safety.

He ran a hand down her back and felt an answering tingle in his own spine. "Interesting," mumbled Kala against his mouth and he knew she had felt it too.

When they finally parted, he opened his eyes slowly, feeling slightly dazed, giddy almost. For a long moment they just looked at each other, adjusting, then he felt himself start to grin a little.

"Did you, did you, drive all the way to a garden just so that you could rugby tackle me in the middle of a rainstorm, and then confess your love for me?" He was suddenly struck by the absurdity of it all.

Kala blushed. "My mother and sister were watching a Bollywood movie as I left the house, I might have been a little inspired."

He laughed at that, "I don't think I have ever been romanced before."

They were back in Mumbai, the rain was subsiding a little. Kala snuggled her head against his wet shoulder. He could feel her lightness, like she was floating. "Don't get too used to it. I am usually a very practical woman."

He tipped his head back slightly as he laughed again. And then still slightly disbelieving, "You called me an idiot!"

He looked down at her, "And a demon! A dangerous, pervert demon," he raised his eyebrows, feeling some of his old playfulness returning. "One has to question your tastes."

"Oh hush," said Kala, "You are ruining a perfectly good monsoon."

*** *** ***

Nomi appeared beside her briefly as she was walking towards her home, barefoot, filthy and grinning ear to ear.

"I am so proud of you," she whispered as she wrapped her arms around Kala. It was a blisteringly sunny day in San Francisco, she was wearing a big floppy hat to hide her face, and Amanita was getting them ice cream.

"Are you sure it is safe to be in San Francisco?" worried Kala. "Whispers know who you are."

Nomi bit her lip. "I have an emergency escape plan set up, in case Whispers comes this way. But as far as I can tell he is back in Chicago. I think that is where Jonas is. God knows what he is doing to him." She sighed. "Neets and I are going to Brazil in a few weeks, it will be safer there."

She looked up at the Kala's parent's bedroom over the restaurant lit with a comforting yellow light. "What are you going to tell them?"

Kala sighed, and then wrapped her arms around her like armor. "The truth. As they will understand it."

*** *** ***

 

In Switzerland, Wolfgang burst into Felix's room. Felix was watching Euro Talent Spotlight. "The fuck?" asked Wolfgang momentarily distracted. "Weren't you making fun of me for watching this?"

Felix shrugged. "I have descended to new lows of boredom." He took in Wolfgang's breathless state, "You need something?"

*** *** ***

"Mother, Father, Daya? I need to talk to you." Kala called as she stepped into the house. Daya poked her head out from her room and gave a little shriek at her mud-covered state.

"What happened to you?!"

Kala's parents came around the corner, both were dressed for bed. "Kala?"

She took a fortifying breath. "Sit down everyone please, I need to talk to you."

*** *** ***

Wolfgang stared at Felix. Felix stared at Wolfgang. Fuck, how was he supposed to explain this?.

"Wolfie?" Felix had turned off the TV. "Wolfie, you are kind of freaking me out."

*** *** ***

Kala, now wrapped in a towel, sat in front her family's expectant gazes. She took another breath. "For the last few weeks I have been having, visions, from Ganesha."

Her mother gasped.

"Visions of all sorts of strange lands and distant places, and of a man, a foreign man -"

*** *** ***

"Uh..." said Wolfgang. Fuck it; he was going to sound crazy no matter what. "I am psychic. Sort of, it's complicated."

Felix burst into laughter. "What the fuck are you on?" He clutched his bandaged stomach "And can I have some?"

*** *** ***

"The visions started just before my wedding was supposed to happen." Kala's parents were now starting to look even more concerned, "And then when I fainted during the ceremony, it was because I saw the man again (she decided to leave out the part where he was naked) and he asked me what I was doing, marrying Rajan, when I did not love him."

"You do not love Rajan?" asked her Father, "But you agreed to marry him, why?"

Kala looked down ashamed, "I did not wish to disappoint you father." She fought back tears, "You were so happy, I had never seen you so happy before, and everyone put so much work and money into the engagement and wedding planning."

She looked at them both, "I am so sorry, I ended things with him tonight. I understand if you no longer want me to stay here, I have arranged a place with a friend -"

"- Kala!" her Father sounded angry, "Kala, you are my daughter, I would never disown you for not marrying someone you don't love."

Kala was crying in earnest, partly from relief, partly from the disappointment that was etched on her Mother's face. Daya was just sitting blinking owlishly in shock.

*** *** ***

"Look," said Wolfgang, "I can't speak Korean right? There is no way I could have learned it without you knowing?"

Felix was still laughing, "Of course you fucking can't, you can't even speak German that well and it is your native language, and don't get me started on your English..."

"Fuck off, " said Wolfgang, he picked up Felix's phone off his bedside and opened Google Translate. "Tell me something you want me to say in Korean."

Felix started to look a little nonplussed. "My friend is a fucking moron that thinks he will get me to fall for his practical joke."

Wolfgang rolled his eyes, but pressed the little microphone button and repeated Felix's words in accented but perfect Korean. He held up the written translation up to Felix's for inspection. His eyes widened slightly.

"Now in Spanish," Wolfgang spoke into the phone again. He held the phone up, it read: This is no joke, I am serious and I need you to believe me. Felix started to gape a little.

Finally Wolfgang spoke in Hindi into the phone. This is the language I was speaking in the club last week, the translation read.

Felix was now looking slightly petrified. "How?"

Wolfgang shrugged. "I honestly don't have a fucking clue, none of us do."

"Us?"

"Yes, there are eight of us, although one is currently being kept unconscious."

"Unconscious?"

Wolfgang shifted. "You know how things are Felix, you think that people who could do what I can wouldn't be hunted?"

Felix paled. "Hunted for speaking lots of languages? Why? I don't get it."

Wolfgang shook his head, "It is more than that. I can speak Korean because I am... connected... to a woman in Korea, the Spanish is from a Mexican actor." He started to pace. "The reason I was speaking Hindu in the club was because I was speaking to a woman in Mumbai and she was answering back."

"This is insane," interjected Felix.

"It is," Wolfgang agreed, "But think about it - I am good - but not good enough to take down the entire Bogdanow family all by myself. I had them with me, their knowledge, strength, skills..."

Felix absorbed this. "You have been acting kind of weirdly lately, talking to yourself when you think I am sleeping," he allowed tapping his chin slightly.

"Yeah," Wolfgang laughed. "It works like that, I can visit them and they can visit me, but no one else see them. Makes me seem crazy."

"No shit." Felix paused. "Are any of them here now?"

"No," Wolfgang shook his head, "They are trying to give me the space to do this. But you already know about one: Nomi."

"I knew you two didn't meet on the Internet! You barely even know how to turn on a computer."

Wolfgang decided to ignore that. "There is more,"

"Oh God." Felix braced himself by gripping the bedside table. "You have a vigilante alter-ego don't you?'

"No."

"You can also shoot lasers out of your eyes."

"No!"

"Well fuck Wolfie, tell me and this better not be one big practical joke."

Wolfgang squared his shoulders. "I met someone."

*** *** ***

"But these, visions why the man?" her mother seemed to have regained her voice.

Kala wiped her eyes, Daya had wrapped her arms around her shoulders. "I don't know," Deep breath. "He was not the only one I saw, there were other strangers, from all around the world, he was just the first, I thought he was a demon."

"He very well could be!" Her mother was looking very concerned, "We must consult a swami –"

"- No!" interjected Kala, "I was warned, warned that there was bad people that were hunting for people like me, ones that had visions." She took her parents hands. "Please, you must never tell anyone."

"But the strangers?"

"They are not demons Mother," Kala squeezed her hand. "They are real people like me, I was as much a shock to them as they were to me."

"Kala, this is unprecedented! Were they future people? Like a prophecy?"

"No, they are all in the present," Kala smiled slightly, "I think Ganesha connected us so that we might not be lonely, so that we might have a better understanding of the world."

Her parents could only stare. Luckily, Daya had recovered her voice and began a round of questioning that could have put the Spanish Inquisition to shame. Kala tried her best to answer. She also tried her best to drive home the point that she was still the same person, and no one, no one could know about her.

It was well past midnight before she showered and made it up to her room, drained, but finally clean of the mud that dried on her legs and in her hair.

Wolfgang was lying on her bed, head propped up by a pillow, perusing a journal article on DMT. He looked as tired as she felt.

"Look familiar?" she nodded at the article.

Wolfgang shook his head.

Kala was already dressed in for bed, so she hesitantly lay down next to him. They didn't talk about what had just happened, they didn't need to. Her palms were sweating a little. Wolfgang didn't seem to notice, just adjusting the pillow so she was at the same level as him and absently wrapping an arm around her shoulders. Kala was valiantly attempting to relax when she felt him sigh. She wasn't sure if it was because of the newness of everything, or...

"Kala, I am not planning on jumping you."

"I know," she felt a little guilty. "I am just not used to this kind of thing."

"I know,"

"I know you know," she said a little exasperated. "I am just trying to be clear."

He shifted the two of them so they were nose to nose. "We don't do anything until you are ready ok?"

She nodded. He kissed her forehead, and then rolled on to his back and laughed quietly. "This is new territory for me too," he wrinkled his nose, "I am usually the guy that girls bring home to piss off their parents -"

"- Oh, don't worry I am sure you will still be able to do that –"

"- If I meet the parents at all, which most of the time I don't."

"I want you to meet my parents."

He looked over at her, "Well, now you are scaring me."

Kala laughed before she could stop herself, the laugh turned into a yawn. Wolfgang put the article down, and scooted over so she could spread out more. She tried to fight sleep a little longer, she wasn't sure if she could maintain the connection if she did. He was gently tracing patterns up and down her arm, and she wiggled a bit so her head was comfortably cradled in the hollow between his shoulder and rib cage. Kala felt a comfortable wave of relaxation spread over her; a simple happiness so sweet that she was surprised to realize it was coming from Wolfgang. She peaked at him from under her eyelashes, he seemed to be vacillating between giddy, selfish, happiness and deep, bitter guilt. The former was currently winning. She smiled into his chest and felt him kiss her forehead.

"Don't worry," she whispered, "I won't tell anyone that you are secretly a bit of a sap."

Kala felt him chuckle, but he didn't deny it. Finally, she couldn't fight sleep anymore and he slid out from underneath her, adjusting the bed covers so they covered her.

Wolfgang bent down and kissed her hair softly, "Goodnight."

She smiled sleepily; "Gute Nacht " and she heard him laugh softly at her accent before he was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a fluffy chapter, but hopefully not obnoxiously so! - Next chapter is up on Sunday and it is a bit darker in tone.
> 
> I have no idea how to do page breaks on this website so I added some asterisks, I hope it is not too confusing. I had way too much fun with the structure of this chapter. Thank you for reading!


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

"I am going to KILL her!" Felix threw open Wolfgang's bedroom door in a rage.

Wolfgang blinked blearily at him, "That's nice, who is she?"

"Julia!" spat Felix. "That little, conniving –"

Wolfgang blinked slowly into consciousness; it had to be late afternoon. Fuck, his sleep schedule was getting messed up. The combination of nightmares and radically different time zones was draining. Felix viciously slammed the door and threw open the blinds on his window. "What did she do now?"

"Nurse Felder, oh yes Nurse Felder, she was going on and on about how attractive Nurse Felder was and oh how I would like my new caretaker very much. Never mentioned Nurse Felder's first name." Felix muttered limping rapidly around his room.

Wolfgang was beginning to see where this was going. Well played Julia, he thought Check and fucking mate. "Nurse Felder is a man."

Come to think of it he remembered Julia mentioning the physiotherapist when they met, he had just been too distracted to put two and two together.

Felix huffed irately, " Nurse Johan Felder is a man, a very large, very muscular man, loves skiing and the outdoors."

Wolfgang couldn't help it; he burst out laughing. "Did you enjoy your massage?"

"It is called physiotherapy and NO I did not!" and with that Felix stormed (as much as he could in his current condition) out of the room.

Wolfgang sighed, and stretched out in his bed. Kala was already at work; he sensed her fighting hard against exhaustion as she sat at a computer, entering data. He lingered on her for a moment, feeling a confusing surge of guilt and joy, compounded by the sheer absurdity of their whole relationship. He wrenched his mind away from her; he didn't have time to visit right now. Riley had already docked at Port Bilbao, she would be disembarking in a few hours, Wolfgang felt his heart-rate increase, the familiar nervous energy he would get before doing a job starting to fill him.

He had driven Felix down to the lake last night, both of them feeling too antsy to stay in the cottage after his confession. Felix had taken the news rather well, all things considered. They sat quietly staring at the lake for a long time; Felix reclined in the car seat. He had been curious about Kala, even more so when Wolfgang, had explained vaguely and awkwardly looking down at his feet that they were sort of maybe in a relationship, and no, he had never actually met her.

Felix being Felix, and laughed at him for that, especially since Wolfgang had stalwartly refused to get into a relationship for the entire he had known him. But, most of their conversation focused on the mechanics of the sensate connection, they had always shared a certain desire to know how things worked.

"I don't know," admitted Wolfgang, in response to Felix's insistent questions. "None of us know how it happened, and the other sensates we have met have not been very helpful."

Felix thought about that, "But you don't think you are just going crazy? I mean –" he hastily continued in response to Wolfgang's raised eyebrow. "I believe you, but hearing voices, seeing things, sounds like you are actually batshit crazy."

Wolfgang sighed; the night outside was very still, he didn't like it; he and Felix should be having this conversation in Berlin to the sound of rushing traffic. "There is something different with my brain," he admitted finally, "I have a...mutation... If doctors were to do brain scans and shit it would not look like a normal human's" he swallowed uncomfortably, "Not like any human's."

"So you are not quite –" Felix choked a little.

"I don't know," repeated Wolfgang, "Guess it depends on your definition of human." He tried for some lightness, "I didn't fucking come from outer space in a flying saucer."

Felix was silent, processing this. Wolfgang didn't like it. Felix was never quiet. It was one of the things he liked most about him, Wolfgang wasn't so good at carrying a conversation, but with Felix he never had to.

He stared resolutely into the darkness outside the cars windshield, if there was fear or disgust in Felix's eyes he didn't have to guts to check.

"Do you remember the time I broke my arm?" Felix said at last.

"Yeah," Wolfgang let out a slight chuckle. "You thought it would be a good idea to climb on top of that old railway station roof. " He rolled his eyes, remembering Felix's manic excitement, the petty shit they would get up to, just trying to escape the unfriendly reality of neglectful parents and schoolyard bullies. "I fucking told you that the roof would fall in."

Felix smirked, "Still came up with me."

"Well, I couldn't let you have all the glory." Wolfgang shook his head slightly, "We were fucking idiots back then."

"Still are," Felix turned his head to look at him, clasped his arm, "And we are still brothers, no matter what."

"Thank you," said Wolfgang quietly at last, a surge of relief rushing through him. "Thank you."

Nurse Felder was indeed a very large man, Wolfgang observed, when he emerged from his bedroom, fully dressed and hair still wet from his shower. The nurse was standing at the kitchen counter pouring over some notes on his tablet, but he looked up with a friendly smile when Wolfgang came in and introduced himself in a booming voice as "Johan Felder, at your service, Herr Bogdanow". True to Julia's word, he was a blond.

They chatted briefly in German, and Johan ran over his plan for Felix's rehabilitation while Felix sulked in his room. Wolfgang was satisfied, and then quickly excused himself when he felt Riley anxiously leaving the cargo ship.

"I have a important conference call," he called to Johan as he closed his bedroom door, "Please let remind Felix if you see him." Johan had just nodded good-naturedly and returned to his tablet. Wolfgang locked the door.

*** *** ***

He joined Riley by the edge of the docks watching the bustle of Port Bilbao unfold around them. She was disguised as well as she could manage, sunglasses on and hair tucked under a baseball hat and a hood.

He had been here before, another reason they had chosen Bilbao. Many years ago, he had overseen several of his uncle's shipping operations, smuggling weapons from Europe to Africa. That was how he had met the two men he had hired today, under a false name. They were freelancers, not so involved in the business of the mobs that anyone would take notice.

"He is a tall Russian man wearing a green shirt," Wolfgang muttered. Riley nodded, spotting him. Will was reclined on a nearby bench wearing dark glasses, she had halved his morning injection so that he was just conscious enough, but certainly not lucid, to stagger off the ship, leaning heavily against her. He had lost so much weight she could almost completely support him. She had made some joking comments about an overindulgence in alcohol to the people that stared at them.

Wolfgang stiffened beside her. "He is here." Riley nodded and watched as the man, Daniil, approached her, pushing an empty wheelchair.

Lito and Sun were hovering nearby, and Nomi was sitting up staring at her blank laptop screen ready to leap into action. Wolfgang forced himself to relax.

"You Lena?" he had yellowing teeth and his eyes were flinty and dark, but overall he was not particularly intimidating looking. Wolfgang knew better than to underestimate him.

Riley nodded, and answered in German, where her Icelandic accent was less recognizable. "Yes, are you the one that is here to help me and my brother?"

Wolfgang didn't like the way he was looking at Riley. But Daniil finally nodded and held out a hand, Riley hesitantly shook it.

She followed him away from the heavily guarded docks, to a quiet square just off the seaside, wheeling Will carefully over the cracked pavement.

Daniil walked over to a large black car and handed her a duffel bag. "Did you get the medical supplies too?" asked Wolfgang.

Daniil nodded.

"Good, " Riley pulled out her phone and pressed a few buttons. "The money should be in your account, have a nice day." She turned to leave – Daniil roughly caught her arm.

"There is a search warrant out on your boy there, I would be careful." Riley froze, but Wolfgang took over. "He's bluffing," he murmured to Riley, "he wants to see if he can get more money out of you."

Riley shook Daniil's hand off. "I don't know what you are talking about." She turned and walked the opposite direction from where Seb the second man Wolfgang had hired was to pick her up.

Nomi was typing frantically into her computer, "I checked this morning there was nothing out on Will, their shouldn't be yet, we took care to cover his tracks before he left Chicago. Riley is a missing person, but only in Iceland – Shit!"

Wolfgang grimaced, "What is it?"

Nomi swore again "Whispers is on to me, I should have known. They have international warrants for arrest out on all three of us, they have just been using email's disguised as ordinary daily reports to communicate. Shit! Shit I should have been looking out for this. I don't know how Daniil could have known though."

"Doesn't matter, we just stick to the plan," said Wolfgang calmly, they were circling around the square now, Riley struggling a little with Will's chair on the uneven ground. A white van with a handicap sign on window shield was parked at the end of the busy street. Seb was leaning against the driver's side door smoking a cigarette.

Riley breathed a sigh of relief when he silently opened the door and lowered the ramp for Will without a comment.

Wolfgang however was tense. He kept looking around restlessly as they pulled away from the curb, Will's head lolling to one side as they bumped over the pavement.

They were silent for about ten minutes.

"Did you touch the door when it closed?" asked Wolfgang finally. Riley shook her head subtly.

"Good." He scanned the road behind them again, "Do not touch anything if you can help it."

Riley felt another spike of fear, but kept silent. Wolfgang took her hands and made her look at him. "In a minute we are going to pull into an abandoned parking garage –"

"But that is not where we agreed!" whispered Riley.

"I know," Wolfgang made her look at him. "I need you to focus, when we pull in you are going to play stupid, ask him to help you take Will out of the car. Do not touch anything. " Riley nodded.

Wolfgang looked at her very firmly, "I am going to take over your body after that, and I need you to trust me, and not interfere. Can you do that?"

Riley swallowed nervously, but nodded again. Wolfgang squeezed her hand and then let go. He inhaled deeply and rolled his shoulders, why did nothing ever go easily?

The car stopped, Riley terrified but under control, followed his instructions exactly. He caught a glimpse of Seb's expression as she exited the car, it was one of satisfaction; he thought she would be an easy mark. Wolfgang cracked his knuckles.

As he knew it would a second car pulled up. Riley feigned shock and outrage. Daniil stepped out gun raised. Any thoughts Wolfgang had entertained about talking his way out of this vanished. Daniil and Seb exchanged a few words.

Suddenly, Daniil was pointing a gun at Will's head; he felt nauseous with Riley's terror but shoved that aside. She had promised him. I am so sorry Riley, he thought, I am so so sorry. He was not afraid; he only felt a certain sadness for what he was about to make Riley do. Seb was not guarding him properly, he noted. There was a definite advantage to being in a different body, especially one as innocent looking as Riley's.

"No, please," he begged in Riley's voice, "Please don't hurt him. I'll give you anything you want." He stumbled forward as if to go to Will, and got a few steps before Seb grabbed him roughly by both arms. Perfect.

Daniil was grinning a little, leering at him. He and Riley were filled with revulsion; perhaps he would not regret this so much. "First, " began Daniil –he didn't get to finish. Wolfgang leaned his weight into Seb and viciously kicked the gun out of Daniil's hands, smashing it upwards into his face. Wolfgang planted his feet, ducking in case Daniil accidently fired, and firmly flipped Seb over his shoulder. There was a satisfying crunch as his head hit the pavement. He walked over to Daniil and picked up the gun, he felt Riley's surprise when he did not fire it but instead switched the safety on.

"Bad choice, " he informed Daniil in Russian before smashing him violently in the head with the butt of the gun. Riley was not as strong as him, it took several attempts before he felt Daniil's skull crack.

Seb was struggling into consciousness, Wolfgang carefully crouched next to Daniil's limp body, it was all about the angle, the gun was covered in blood and cerebral fluid but Wolfgang took a firm grip and fired twice catching Seb in the shoulder and then through the gut. Good shots, but not too good - ones that could have been fired by a professional criminal, before dying of a head wound. The bag of medical supplies was still hanging off the back of Will's chair. Ignoring the gurgling whimpers of Seb as he died, Wolfgang withdrew a few sterile medical wipes, gloves, and a bottle of soap from Riley's bag he wiped down the gun, he placed it in Daniil's hand. Soaking a bandage in the blood and clear fluid that was steadily spilling from Daniil's head across the concrete floor, he spattered it liberally on Seb's hands and on the gun he knew would be in his coat pocket, it was of similar make and model to Daniil's. Good.

He tucked the blood soaked wipes and gloves into a plastic bag, and made sure there was no obvious stains on Riley's clothes or shoes, he would discard of them once they were far enough away from the garage. Wolfgang did some quick calculations, he was familiar with the area, and they were about twenty minutes from the apartment. As a final touch he put Riley's baseball cap over Will's head tilting it to hide his face.

"Nomi?" he murmured as he began to wheel Will away from the car, "Were there any security cameras?" She took a minute to recover - he realized, belatedly, - that she had never directly witnessed this side of him. Her voice was shaking, and he heard her clumsily fumbling at her keyboard before she answered that they were all clear.

Good. Wolfgang continued to ignore Nomi's panic. "I need you to look up any connections that BPO has with the Russian mob, or any of the Spanish underground." A few theories swirled around his head. "Most likely a mole in the police office, I imagine Riley and Will would net substantial rewards if they were to be turned in," he thought of Daniil and Seb's past jobs, "Maybe even a clean criminal record. " Nomi nodded grimly and Wolfgang left her to her research.

They were in an empty alleyway about half a block from the apartment when he let Riley take over again. She was sheet white, and shaking violently. He took her firmly by the shoulders and led her to a nearby gutter in case she threw up.

For a long time she didn't say anything.

"Hey, hey, listen," said Wolfgang, "What just happened, it wasn't you, it was me, my fault, and my responsibility." Riley was gasping slightly, but managed to nod. "You did really well, Riley, we are almost done. Julia is in the apartment with the light green door, when you get in I need you to take a shower, throw out your clothes and your shoes, and I need you to drink a glass of water and eat something. Can you do this?"

She clenched her jaw and nodded. He felt a quiet swell of pride at her strength, together they pushed Will the last few steps. He stayed with her until Julia answered the door; her hair dyed a rather dull brown, before he returned to his room. Riley turned to look at him as he left, he didn't meet her eyes to see if there was judgment in them.

*** *** ***

He was sitting on the edge of his bed, face in his hands when Kala appeared. His fingertips trembled slightly. Everything about his posture, the curve of his back, seemed to say defeat. She could feel that he was terribly, terribly tired. Wolfgang looked up apprehensively at her, but didn't move otherwise.

He expects me to be afraid of him, realized Kala. She paused for a minute to contemplate the ironies of heroism and sin, before standing before him and gently taking his hands. Their eyes met, he opened his mouth to say something, but Kala already knew what it was going to be. I'm sorry, I am a monster, You should be afraid of me, I should have known better. She wasn't particularly interested in hearing any of those things, so she just leaned down and kissed his open mouth.

Thank you, she thought, thank you for having the courage to do what none of us could. He seemed to be protesting half heartedly, but some of that courage must have worn off on her because she just wrapped her legs around his hips and pushed him back so he was laying flat on the bed, her still on his lap. He stopped protesting.

Kala paused a minute to look at him. He was frowning a little, a crease between his eyebrows that she reached with gentle fingers to smooth away. She let her hand trail lightly, tracing the delicate skin under his eyes, the square shape of his jaw, the curve of his ear. He was watching her with an unreadable expression.

"I love you," she murmured, filled with an aching tenderness, before leaning down to kiss him again. She understood that he could not say it back.

At first it started slow and deliberate, she could feel how careful he was being, one hand buried in the hair and the other drawing slow tingling lines from the base of her neck down the curve of her spine. It didn't stay that way for long, couldn't not when she felt his desire as clearly as her own, felt the jolt of pleasure he felt she gently bit his ear, shiver down the side of her own neck.

She sucked his bottom lip hard as he flipped them, tasting toothpaste masking the bitter bite of cigarette smoke. He took her hands, pinning her down. There was a dark glitter in his eyes as he turned his attention to her neck and she wasn't quite sure who was making those soft whimpering noises, but she was fairly sure it was her. Heat was filling her and she was squirming against him just trying to feel more, mind blissfully blank.

They were both panting when he rolled away from her. Trying to prevent things from escalating too fast. Kala laughed slightly at that, the insanity of the whole thing.

They laid in the comfortable yellow light of his bedroom lamp, breathing slowly returning to normal. She reached out and curiously traced the straight line of his nose.

"It wasn't your fault," she said at last, "You couldn't have known they would double cross you."

He made a little dismissive noise, but didn't respond.

It was a windy night, they listened to the rustling leaves outside mingle with the rush of traffic outside her window in Mumbai. They were both terribly grateful not to be alone. Kala could feel his chest expanding and contracting with his breaths, deep and slow. His eyes had fluttered shut.

She reached over and poked his side gently, "Take off your shirt."

He raised an eyebrow.

She blushed a little, "Not for that reason." He laughed at her expression, "I mean, so that you will be comfortable, you are falling asleep."

He dimpled a bit, "I don't usually sleep with pants on either."

Gods help her. Kala tried for a nonchalant air, "Whatever makes you more comfortable."

He clearly hadn't bought her act, but he sat up anyways and shucked off his shirt without a hint of shyness. The darkness in his expression was replaced with a great deal of amusement as he slowly began to unbutton his jeans, looking directly at her. Kala forced her expression into what she hoped was a neutral one.

He was wearing boxers underneath, she realized with some measure of relief and... disappointment? She didn't linger on that thought for too long. She also couldn't help staring a little, noticing the front was tented a bit. He was definitely laughing at her as she rapidly averted her eyes.

"Don't worry, just ignore it and it will go away." He switched off the lamp and slid under the thick duvet holding up the edge so she could join him. She did, hesitantly, lying so that just their shoulders were just touching. Kala wondered idly if her skittishness was grating on him.

"I don't mind it," he said in answer to her unspoken thought. "It is most certainly different from what I am used to, but I don't mind waiting."

He rolled over to look at her; she could only see his outline. "Anticipation is half the fun anyways, and I can be a very patient person."

"I'm not," Kala admitted.

"I know," Wolfgang chuckled, "It is funny to watch your nervousness war with your curiosity."

Kala made a face at him in the dark.

They were quiet for a while; she reached out and took his hands, softly kissing the palms.

"I don't want to fall asleep, "she admitted, "I can't stay with you if I do."

He wrapped his arm around her waist, gently snuggling his face into the crook of her neck. He was very warm.

She rested her cheek on the top of his head. "I want our first time to be in person," she finally whispered. "Would you come to Mumbai and stay with me for a while? Once Felix is better?"

"Of course," he murmured against her neck. "If you promise to come to Berlin with me afterword."

"I'd like that," she felt them drifting a little, "I have always wanted to see snow."

"It's nice," Wolfgang's words were almost a mumble, "All fluffy ... and you can throw it at people..." then he was asleep, snoring lightly into the crook of her neck, one arm still thrown possessively over her midsection. She could feel the bone deep exhaustion, that came after a rush of adrenaline, taking them both.

Kala fought as long as she could to stay there, the unfamiliar warmth of his body beside her simultaneously comforting and electrifying. She caught herself imagining their future. He loved Berlin just as she loved Mumbai, would they spilt their time between the two cities? She tried to imagine him sitting in her father's restaurant, eating spicy biryani and chatting with her sister. Would her parents have stopped tiptoeing around her by then? Would the sharpness of the worried and disapproving looks her mother now wore behind her back, fade into happiness? Would they stop treating her with that mixture of awed respect and deep skepticism?

Almost as if he could feel her worrying (he probably could) Wolfgang's arm tightened around her. She sighed softly and let her eyes flutter shut. She gave into the dizzying sensation of falling, falling, into her colourful sheets the scent of his hair still lingering in her nose, the phantom feeling of his limbs wrapped around her, before she knew no more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and for your kind reviews! Next chapter up on Wednesday, and thank you to dancingwithtime (ff.net) - my stalwart editor, my intrepid housemate and fellow fan-fiction addict.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9:

The rat was most definitely alive.

It was most definitely alive, and had made a valiant effort at biting Kala's thickly gloved hand as she pulled it out of its little cage, squeaking at her as she held it up at eye level.

She was in the little lab space she and Nomi had rented, the kitchenette to be precise, her equipment set in neat rows in the cupboards where the teacups and paper plates had been. She made an effort to maintain the façade of a normal office space, despite the quiet squeaking of the rats she kept in the housekeeping supply closet.

"People are going to think we are making drugs in here!" she had hissed at Nomi, who was asking why she was buying a houseplant for the office.

"We are making drugs in here."

Kala had let out an exasperated sigh at that, before going back to her work.

She was exhausted; trying to keep her head above water at her real job, while progressing with Will's medicine, and trying to keep her family from thinking she was absolutely insane. It was all starting to get to her.

The news that she had ended her engagement to Rajan had (unsurprisingly) spread at lightning speed. Just this morning as she slipped out the back door of the restaurant, she hear her mother and one of her many aunts discussing it over steaming cups of tea.

"I just don't understand," her auntie was saying, "He was so perfect."

Kala saw her mother's mouth thinning into a stiff line, but she kept Kala's secret. "It was to do with his father, my Kala is very devout - you know that."

She watched them lean their heads closer together, "To be perfectly honest, continued her mother, "I am worried for her health, Kala barely sleeps, doesn't eat enough, they work her far too hard at that lab..."

But now, now it was all worth it.

"Its not dead!" she shrieked at Capheus who had just appeared and was curiously examining a micropipette. "Look!" she said brandishing the squeaking rodent at him.

Capheus, to his eternal credit, took this all in stride, "Hey, hey!" he said a broad grin stretching across his face, "Would you look at that!"

Kala grinned at him, before returning the rat to its cage and slipping off her gloves. "Did you need something? Is your mother still sick?"

"No," it was Capheus's turn to grin, "She is getting better!"

"That is great news!" Kala was momentarily caught up in Capheus's overwhelming relief and joy. He was sitting by his mother's bedside, the soft grey light from the window illuminating her smooth face. The doctor had taken the IV away yesterday; their little home seemed normal again, without the too clean metal machines and the sharp tinge of disinfectant. A portable radio was playing in the corner of the room, by the TV, some upbeat tune.

"What song is that?"

Capheus grinned, "I am not sure, they play it all the time. It is by Sauti Sol, they are a big Kenyan pop group."

"I like it," Kala laughed, "Makes me want to dance!"

Capheus grinned even wider and jumped up, "That is good! Dancing is good!" With that he grabbed the radio and Kala's hand and dragged her out the door.

The night air was crisp and smoky, and warmly lit by the electric light escaping from the surrounding shanties; Kala could hear the distant sounds of traffic, TVs, and children playing.

Capheus turned up the radio and she couldn't help laughing delightedly as he spun her out in a circle. And then laughing again because they had completely dancing styles and they kept stepping on each other's feet.

He was perplexedly trying to emulate her Bollywood style of dancing and she was grinning and shouting instructions over the music, when Riley appeared a hesitant smile on her face.

"Riley!" Kala couldn't stop smiling, "I think I did it! We are going to help Will!"

Riley let out a kind of huff of air that was relief and joy and disbelief before she was hugging Kala tightly.

"Thank you, thank you," she whispered fiercely. After a moment Riley suddenly seemed to notice the music, "Oh I like this!"

"Join us!" cried Capheus, "Kala is teaching me how to dance like they do in Bollywood." Riley laughed, but couldn't help wiggling a little to the beat.

Lito, ever the show off, knee slid into their informal little dancing circle. They all started to giggle as he dramatically lifted Riley up over his head and twirled.

Kala heard Capheus crow with joy as Sun appeared next to him, a little stiff, before relaxing and attempting to swing her hips in the easy loose way he was.

Then, she jumped a little as she felt Wolfgang's hands slide smoothly over her waist, his chest warm against her back. She suddenly flushed all over; she had never danced like this before.

She carefully leaned her head back against his shoulder, lost in the collective happiness of the cluster, the feeling of his hands, one guiding her hips the other sliding lightly down her side.

Nomi joined them last, looking a bit uncomfortable, but only for a moment before Lito grabbed and lead her in an enthusiastic and skillful beat picked up, Kala forgot to be afraid and pressed a little against Wolfgang swaying her hips. She felt him grin behind her, his surprised little exhale, and the brush of teeth against her ear, before Sun took both her hands and whisked her away from Wolfgang smirking in his direction.

She lost track of everyone after that, they all did. They were united, not quite whole, not yet, but with the promise of a bright new future. Kala remembered giddily spinning, holding six different sets of hands; she had never felt more alive.

The dance party was broken up at last by a wizened old woman; bags of groceries clutched to her chest, shouting something grumpy and incomprehensible at Capheus.

Ever cheerful, he just responded with a good natured smile, and even spun her around once to the music, to her great surprise, before picking up her bags and offering to carry them home for her. Capheus threw them a wink as he walked away, the woman greatly mollified.

 

Kala returned to the lab, Nomi, Riley and Wolfgang were leaning against the counter opposite her.

"So how exactly does it work?" asked Nomi "In simple terms, please"

Kala laughed slightly at that, "So, as the normal process to ensure a drug is safe to use on humans can be over twelve years long, I have been testing combinations of human approved drugs on rats. Because the combinations I have been using are novel there was nothing in any databases about recommended dosages or possible integrations." She gestured at the little rat cage, "This is my 146th attempt, I injected him with a combination of anti-psychotics to suppress the parts of his brain that would be responsible for auditory and visual hallucinations, then I added in drug prescribed to epileptics that inhibits communication between the hemispheres of the brain, and finally a serotonin agonist that effectively blocks the reception of DMT."

She paused for breath and met three uncomprehending stares. "Uh, or in other words these drugs will make him not be a sensate."

"Is it permanent?" asked Riley a little anxiously.

Kala shook her head, "No, as long as the dosage is low enough the body should degrade the drug, with no permanent damage." She did some quick mental math, "He will likely need to be injected every twelve hours, but we will need to do some fine tuning."

"Side effects?" queried Nomi.

Kala cringed slightly, "Well a few groups experienced acute liver failure, but that was because the dosage not right." She sighed, might as well come out with it, "The most common side effect is blindness, nausea, and mild to moderate paralysis."

She sighed again, and then squared her shoulders, "It is not ideal, but after I verify my results the next step will have to be human testing. I of course will be the subject."

"No!" said Nomi and Riley together. "That is not happening." Wolfgang was silent, thinking. He knows better than to argue with me outright, realized Kala.

"Time is not on our side," pointed out Kala, "We cannot keep Will in a coma forever, We are already risking permanent damage, and sooner or later Whispers is bound to find one of us, I need to test the drug and I need to test it on a sensate."

Nomi shook her head, "No way, there has to be another option. There must be something else -"

Wolfgang finally spoke up, "There is, I will take it. "

All three women turned sharply to look at him.

"Listen," he said stalling any protests, "Kala and I are relatively close geographically, and she will be going to Italy in a few weeks for a conference, I can meet her there and I have the means to smuggle the drug to Spain if it works. Besides –" he cast an amused look at Kala, "I have been paying attention to your long winded science monologues and I know that the effectiveness of a drug is also dependent on sex and race, I would be the better test subject because I am the most physically like Will."

He is way too smart for his own good, thought Kala. She felt a terrible wave of anxiety, thinking of the crumbled little corpses of her rats, the needle going into his arm. It was one thing to risk her own life, but to risk his... Still, he was right. He was the most practical and accurate test subject

. Kala mentally swore. Nomi and Riley seemed to be at a loss too. Wolfgang smirked slightly, "Good, it is agreed." He turned to go.

"And the possible side effects?" Kala murmured.

"I trust you," he said and leaned down to brush a kiss against her cheek, "Besides, better me than you." She could suddenly feel his exhaustion, the nightmares were back, and this time they featured her and Riley. She wanted to wrap her arms around him then, but there was precious little she could do about dreams. A certain softness in his eyes before he was gone, told her that he understood.

"He is good," remarked Nomi, her hands were twisting anxiously, but her gaze turned slightly wicked, "Romantic trip for two to Italy then, coming right up."

Kala, despite her apprehension, blushed.

*** *** ***

The following weeks were a frantic rush to get everything prepared.

She had been spared the awkwardness of talking to Rajan by an email from his secretary - asking to confirm his she was still going to Italy. It had just been a matter of filling out the necessary paperwork and emailing it back. A flight itinerary, adjusted for the extra few days she had requested off, was returned within a few hours. Kala vainly attempted to control her thudding pulse.

The drugs for Will were packed neatly in her checked bag; the idea to disguise them as perfume had been Riley's idea, some trick that one of her dealers had used. They had been visiting each other more often now, as they got Will settled into the rented apartment in Bilbao. She had supervised while Julia, now going as Kate, put Will into a coma. Julia had arrived early to convert the apartment into a makeshift medical ward, the sparsely furnished bedroom had been emptied so that there was room for a heart monitor, respirator, and IV stand. Kala thanked their lucky stars that Julia was an experienced home-care nurse, and that she had the connections to obtain all the equipment necessary.

Will had come around for a moment only, as they waited to try and allow the maximum amount of drug to leave his system, before injecting the anesthetic. He had fixed his eyes on Riley, and Kala had shuddered at the pain and longing they shared, before he was unconscious again.

Riley let out a long sigh as they felt their awareness of him fade. Julia was carefully watching her out the corner of her eye, a distinctly motherly look settling on her face. After that Riley was not allowed to mope around beside Will, Julia kept her busy with little errands and tasks. Kala could sense the odd mix of resentment and gratefulness she felt towards the nurse.

It was working, though, Riley had dyed her hair a warm chestnut brown and she was getting some colour to her skin from her occasional walks to the little markets around Bilbao. Kala had joined her sometimes, in a rare moment of calm, Riley wearing a large hat and sunglasses to obscure her face, and they would sit and talk quietly about their homes, and the future.

Feeling a little sad to be leaving, Kala had also cleaned up her little lab office space and packed all the lab equipment into inconspicuous paper boxes at the back of the coat closet. It felt premature to dispose of all the equipment, there was still a fairly decent chance this would all be a failure.

She had tested the drug out on twenty more rats, working late into the night. They had all survived, but number 155 had become almost completely paralyzed, squeaking and shaking as if in terrible pain. Kala resolutely refused to think of Wolfgang.

It was not until the day before her flight, collapsed against her stuffed suitcase, and staring balefully at the clock, that she had a minute to properly think about what she was about to do. Two competing worries circulated her brain continuously, almost hilarious in their contrast.

What if she hurt him? That was of course the most pressing concern, she had tried to prepare for everything, Wolfgang was bringing a fully stocked medical kit, including AED, and Julia was on standby for a flight to Italy.

The second worry was silly really, in comparison, but she couldn't shake it; the reality was beginning to dawn on her that they would be in actual physical proximity.

Of course, there was no reason to assume that that anything would be happening, and while the thought had crossed his mind, Wolfgang hadn't said anything about it. But the more Kala thought about it the more she was sure, when would they get another chance to see each other again?

By the time she got to the airport, and kissed her worried parents goodbye, promising she would be safe and that she would call if she could, Kala was fairly sure she was over thinking it.

Her seatmate, and fellow Rasal Pharmaceuticals scientist, Dr. Tambe had fallen asleep almost immediately. He was an elderly man, walking with the aid of a cane, but still sharp and straight backed. He had greeted her with a kind, grandfatherly, air. The plane was quiet, except for the muted roar of the engines, the movie selection was uninspiring, Kala was left to try and calm her breathing as she watched the clouds roll below. She jumped a little when she looked over to find that Nomi had replaced Dr. Tambe in the seat beside her.

"You ok?"

Kala tried for a nod. In a moment, she was cozily ensconced on Nomi's couch, the air conditioner humming and a tasseled lamp giving the room a warm golden glow. Nomi was sipping a cup of chamomile tea, the flavour soothing in their mouths.

"I am just nervous," Kala said, "About the drug, what if it makes him sick?"

"Mmm," Nomi blew on her tea. "I know you, you are very careful and you have prepared for all eventualities. We are pretty ready for the test." She looked at Kala kindly, but not without that hint of mischief. "Is that all you are nervous about?"

Kala groaned and collapsed back into the couch. "You are worse than my Auntie, I know what sex is ok? I am well versed in the mechanics of it all. I know all the parts and how they work"

Lito appeared beside her, "Sex is not like fixing a car."

"Oh no," moaned Kala valiantly trying to sink into the couch cushions.

Two pairs of eyes watched her unblinkingly, until finally, "Ok, fine, fine!" Kala surrendered, "I am also nervous about having sex, there happy?"

"That is a perfectly normal thing to be feeling," said Nomi soothingly, she paused, "Would you like some advice?"

Kala looked at the two of them, Nomi putting on a comforting big sisterly air, and Lito grinning like a cat that just got the cream. She sighed, "I don't really have a choice do I?"

Kala could have kissed the flight attendant that broke her connection with Nomi and Lito to offer her a drink. She had never realized how slow time could go until she had sat for what felt like years on Nomi's couch, while they gave her advice that ranged from practical (Nomi) to downright improbable (Lito). There had been stick figure diagrams and Kala was not sure if she could ever look at a banana again. She had almost turned purple with embarrassment when Nomi brought out her dildo collection.

Dr. Tambe was still asleep. Kala stretched out her aching legs, she still had five hours until she landed. Looking out at the darkening sky, she admitted to herself that despite nearly dying of mortification, Nomi and Lito had helped.

"He will be very gentle with you," said Lito sometime after the stick figures but before the banana. Kala was holding a pile of condoms and lube on her lap; Nomi had just finished listing off a stunning variety of types and flavors, with demonstrations. "He is terrified of hurting you," Lito continued.

Nomi, was nodding beside her, "Communication is absolutely key. Wolfgang is an adult, he will be able to handle it if you tell him you don't like something, or to stop if you are uncomfortable."

"That's right," Lito was now lounging by the window seat. Kala wondered idly if he was intentionally picking the place in the room with the most flattering lighting or if it was an unconscious move. "Obviously, he won't be able to feel what you are feeling so –" Lito suddenly paused. "Or will he?"

All three of them suddenly looked a little unnerved.

"I don't know," started Nomi a little hesitantly, "None of the cluster have ever physically been together that way..."

"Fascinating..." mused Lito, "This will be a new experience for all of us."

"Oh no, no, no, no," repeated Kala, "None of you will be there!" She got up and pointed a finger at Lito, "I don't care what you have to do, you just better not be there."

"Don't worry," Nomi's voice was soothing, "We will give you your privacy."

"As much as we can anyways." Lito repressed a grin as Nomi and Kala glared at him.

She supposed they had also given her some useful advice, not that she would know until she put it into practice... she blushed again. She wondered what Wolfgang was doing; she had been avoiding reaching out to him feeling his preoccupation at leaving Felix alone. She felt some comfort in the fact that he was also nervous.

Sun was sitting beside her. Kala groaned.

"Your not here to give me a sex talk too are you?' muttered Kala under her breath.

Sun shook her head, "No, I just like flying, you don't mind do you?"

Kala sighed in relief. "Of course not."

The rest of the flight passed in silence, Kala pulled out her laptop she busied herself with work until she felt tired enough to nap.

Dr. Tambe woke long enough to eat their in-flight meal together, when he found out she had never been to Florence before he had excitedly pulled out a little notepad from his breast pocket and began to list places that she must visit.

Wolfgang was just boarding his flight from Zurich when she landed - blinking owlishly, already feeling a bit jetlagged. A neatly dressed man with a sign bearing her and Dr. Tambe's names drove them to a posh hotel that had been rented out for the conference. She was on the eleventh floor. The large window dressed in soft white gauze overlooked the Arno river and a sea of red tiled houses, Kala stood for a moment admiring the view, wobbling a little from tiredness, before collapsing into a massive fluffy bed and falling instantly asleep.

*** *** ***

He was fucking primping. Primping like a girl going on her first date. Primping like Lito, all the time.

Wolfgang had landed four hours ago, Kala was still sleeping, and he had reluctantly gone out and bought some lighter clothing, in addition to collecting medical supplies, when he remembered that Florence was fucking hot this time of year.

This is ridiculous, he thought, surveying the mess that was his room, contents of his suitcase spilled over the floor. Felix would be pissing his pants with laughter if he saw him now.

He had been standing in front of the bathroom mirror of his hotel room for about twenty minutes, a towel wrapped around his waist, trying to remember if that bit of hair that stuck up at the back of his head always did that, when he spied Sun sitting cross legged on his bed.

She didn't appear to be phased by his state of undress, so he just continued to fuss with his hair.

"Haven't seen you for a while," he remarked.

Sun shook her head, "I am not alone very often, now that I am out of solitary, I have to be careful I don't think it would be very good for me if people started thinking I am crazy."

An image of one of her fellow inmates, face in an unpleasant scowl, fist clutched around a small knife, flashed across Wolfgang's mind, "You expecting a fight?"

Sun grinned humourlessly, "Only if they are very stupid." She hopped off his bed, gracefully skirting the mess of clothes on the floor.

Peaking out the window, she smiled at the feeling of sunlight on their skin. "You should go with the light blue shirt." She gestured to the button up hung haphazardly over the chair. "Brings out your eyes."

"Thanks," he muttered, beginning the arduous process of unpacking his suitcase. He hands itched for a cigarette, but halfway to the airport in Zurich he had tossed his last pack into the trash. He would make up some bullshit about making healthy lifestyle choices if Felix asked, but in reality it was because Kala hated the taste of them, as they visited each other more and more it was starting to get to him.

Sun eyed him flatly, "Tough isn't it?"

He joined her at the window. Together they watched the traffic wind itself through narrow cobblestone streets.

Wolfgang looked down at her, he had to suppress the stab of pity he felt, Sun would hate that. "Have you ever been here before?"

"Yes," she answered to his surprise. "You?"

Wolfgang nodded, "For business." He didn't particularly feel like going into details.

Sun didn't press him. "A friend that I met at university, she also kick-boxed. We hiked the Pyrenees with our dogs, and then came to Florence for a few days before going home."

She sighed, "I loved it. The silence of the mountains, the harsh unyielding beauty, the vastness, and then here all the chaos and the colour, it was so different from Seoul. Sometimes I wish that I had never come back."

Wolfgang didn't quite know what to say to her; Capheus was usually the one that did the cheering up. Sun finally smirked a little at him, fiddling awkwardly at the windowsill.

"Don't worry about me," she nodded towards the shirt again, "Kala will wake up soon, and while I wouldn't put it past you to meet her in nothing but a towel..."

He grimaced in her direction. Sun turned to leave, "Eat a gelato for me will you? Lemon or dark chocolate."

He gave her a solemn bow, and she smiled a little before she was gone.

The combination of the light button up and aviators made him feel slightly like the spoiled son of some businessman. Oh well, at least he wouldn't be too hot. He began restlessly shoving things in the closet.

Kala was just beginning to stir from her slumber. She had the day off before the conference started and then several days after the conference. Ten days in total. He had looked it up and there was a strip of cafés just down from her hotel; he figured he would wait there, made more sense than sitting in the hotel room trying to stop his brain from eating itself.

Felix had insisted he borrow one of his books for the plane ride - one of sci-fi novels that he was always going on about, Vorgon's space adventures or some shit – Wolfgang brought it along to read while he waited.

The oppressive heat forced him to slow his walk to a saunter, the riverside was swarming with tourists, motorcycles buzzed past him, disorientating and exciting after the stillness of Brienz County. It felt nice to be surrounded by people. He couldn't help feeling vaguely like he was on holiday, which was a strange feeling, seeing as officially he was here to risk paralysis and blindness playing lab rat. Try as he might he couldn't bring himself to feel that apprehensive, Felix would have lost his mind over something like this, but Wolfgang tended to be more relaxed about things that were out of his control.

He found a relatively quiet café with outdoor seating and ordered an espresso for himself and a lemon gelato for Sun. Kala was fully awake now. He could feel his veins buzzing with her (or was it his?) nervousness. Calm thoughts. Opening the book he attempted to lose himself in the glorious adventures of Vorgon and his intrepid crew.

*** *** ***

Kala knew exactly what she was going to wear; she had packed it a week before she left. A loose cotton dress, royal purple with deep pockets and intricate golden embroidery around the neck; it had been a present from Daya several years ago. She had always promised herself she would wear it on her first date with Rajan, but he had ended up taking her to this fancy French restaurant and she had traded it out for a more formal black number. The tile was cool underfoot as she wrangled her hair into a ponytail.

Staring at her flushed face in the mirror a slow feeling of unreality stole over her. Who was this person? She breathed slowly and deeply for a moment before unpacking the little statue of Ganesha she had brought with her. The drugs were sitting beneath it. She was just reaching out to shove them in her purse when, Riley's hand stopped her.

Kala looked over in surprise.

"Not yet," murmured Riley. They were standing next to Will as Julia was exercising his limbs; the shrill beeping of the heart-rate monitor was grating on Riley's ears.

"But this is what I am here for," protested Kala. "Why wait?"

"You know why," Riley raised an eyebrow. Kala tried not to blush, oh please, not her as well.

Luckily, Riley didn't push the subject further; she just tucked the drugs securely under a pair of Kala's shoes, and took her hand. "Go to him, don't worry, we have time now. Will would want that too."

Kala didn't know what to say, but Riley was gone anyways. She was suddenly filled with urgency, he was here, and they were actually going to meet. Throwing the essentials into her purse she was out the door and down the hotel stairs, too impatient to wait for the elevator.

It was a pleasantly warm day; she set off at a brisk pace, trying not to run. She felt her awareness of him grow with every step she took. Kala could taste the sweetness of lemon lingering in his mouth, the hardness of the little wooden chair he was sitting on, the doubt that was filling him, trapped butterfly nervousness, the overwhelming sensation that he was not good enough for her, and then it stopped.

He was watching her, sitting in a nearly empty side street, the café cleared of its lunchtime rush.

My god, thought Kala, her knees began to shake a little. Crossing the road without getting run over was a little more challenging than it should have been, but she didn't want to take her eyes off of him. And then there he was, standing now by a table, a little unsure of himself, a little unsure of her.

They were only feet apart now, Kala was struck for a moment with fear, what if she reached out to touch him and he wasn't real?

Wolfgang was shaking too; she could see his throat bob as he swallowed nervously. They were frozen, staring at each other, she slowly raised a hand to touch his face at the same moment he reached forward to brush a hand down her arm. Kala gasped.

 

She had known that she wanted to be a scientist the very first day of her very first chemistry class; the day she learned about the atom. Her teacher had started with the history behind its discovery, explaining model after model, each stranger than the next. A plum pudding, a sea of positivity, a planet in a solar system, and then finally the quantum model: a comfortably predicable core enveloped in a cloud of electron probability. That one had been her favourite; she had always felt it was such an elegant way to combine the known with the unknowable.

She had rather thought people were the same until now. Wolfgang, like anyone, could be simplified into a few core traits, loyalty, courage, practicality, but to say that was him, that she knew him based on those few observations, she could see now it was as foolish and simplistic as the little two dimensional atoms in her first chemistry book, electrons running in neat concentric circles.

But it was more than that, she could not even describe him as a cloud of probability, an indeterminate mess of a pushes and pulls governed by a few undeniable rules, because all that had been thrown aside. It was something else entirely, it was as if the world were being undone, the laws of humanity erased, the idea of isolation, of autonomy, of loneliness laughable. As if she were floating in an ocean that had neither surface nor floor, surrounded by little lights, zooplankton perhaps, and in her hands, although there is no way he could be contained by them, contained by anything, was Wolfgang.

They must have been standing like that a long time; but time had no meaning anymore. At last they returned to themselves, both shuddering filled with the terror and the pleasure of being completely revealed to the other.

"Wow," said Kala lamely. Wolfgang let out an amazed little huff of laughter. They eyed each other up.

"Do you think that will happen every time we touch?" he asked looking a little wary, but mostly giddy.

"Only one way to find out." Kala reached out and resolutely took his hand. The connection zinged between them but this time it was manageable. They were still staring at each other.

"Hi," she said at last. "It is nice to meet you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hella long chapter. Anyways, thank you for reading - please note there will be sexy times in the next chapter, so gird your loins and all that if you aren't into that kind of thing. I will be changing the rating.
> 
> As a side note - Miguel Angel Silvestre and Toby Onwumere went to visit the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (https://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/) in Nairobi recently, WHICH IS VERY EXCITING. If any of you are feeling a little depressed by the state of the world (and who isn't, really), I would suggest checking them out. That particular charity is very near and dear to my heart I have fostered their orphaned elephants for over four years now, they are absolutely amazing, just an wellspring of awesome, loving, people saving Kenya's wildlife. 
> 
> See you on Sunday!


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10:

By some unspoken consent, they had begun to walk, hand in hand, along the Arno. She caught him sneaking little sideways looks at her, checking to make sure she was real. They were both grinning like idiots.

He had been here before, he explained, as they walked between the light coloured buildings, stopping every now and then as Kala peaked into a shop window curiously. It had been for his uncle, a favour to the Italian mafia - although such organizations did not like to get too involved in each other's business.

The momentary awkward silences between them faded as he settled into the role of tour guide, pointing out various monuments and giving out little tidbits of information of varying accuracy from memory; laughing, when she pulled out the guidebook she had bought at the airport and pretended to check his facts.

They ended up sitting in the Palazzo Pitti, a grandiose renaissance palace-turned-museum; basking in air-conditioned comfort, caught up in the midafternoon haziness, and the echoing quiet of the gallery.

Kala had never seen so much art before, thousands of painting hung all they way up the wall, so high that she had to crane her neck to see them all. She was unfamiliar with European painters, but Wolfgang was again surprisingly knowledgeable. He had pointed out the works of the Old Masters, explaining, even as Kala stood trying to understand the obsession with voluptuous redheaded women, about form and the effortlessness of Raphael. His mother had taken him see a temporary exhibit in West Berlin once; one of his brightest memories, but he didn't need to explain what she had risked in doing so.

They moved through room after room of religious iconography, the Virgin Mary changing her form as the years went by.

Wolfgang's mouth hardened when they reached the Romantic era. "I know the most about the Romantics, " he said "My uncle collected works from that era."

He didn't need to say anymore, Kala just squeezed his hand and they moved on to a newer exhibit, leaving the ornate room behind.

"History was one of my favourite subjects," he admitted later, speaking softly so as not to disturb the contemplative silence. "I always had a good memory for strange little facts, dates and so on. Used to drive Felix insane, I always did better than him in history class and I never had to study."

Kala laughed, "Poor Felix."

Wolfgang smirked, "Poor Felix nothing, he was the reason I never studied." He blinked innocently at her, "He was a corrosive influence on me."

Kala thought back to young Wolfgang, tough and angry in his little leather jacket. "Sure," she teased, "I am sure you were a model student."

He chuckled, "Ok fine, you have me there," he wrapped and arm loosely around her, "And what about you?"

Kala laughed again and leaned her head into his shoulder, "I was an excellent student, thank you very much." She peeked up at him, "Until I started correcting the teacher."

Wolfgang kept a straight face, and tucked a hand under her chin to lift it. His eyes were bright with mischief, "I would never have guessed," he murmured, before kissing her softly.

 

Some time later, they ended up in his hotel room, standing together by the balcony, watching the sluggish traffic below. He had not prepared for this. When his mind inevitably strayed to Kala on the flight from Zurich, he had imagined spending the day together, wandering around Florence, maybe a museum or two, the inevitable drug test. He had made a reservation at a restaurant he had been to last time he visited. It was this tiny place with worn, red, plushy, benches and cozy brick walls, far enough off the beaten track that it would not be flooded with tourists. He had not planned to take her back to his hotel room; of course the thought had crossed his mind, but had been filled with honourable intentions of walking her to her hotel and kissing her goodnight. Recalling a youth spent sneaking out of windows, he could help but wonder how the hell he had got here, playing the understanding boyfriend. He couldn't shake the feeling that it was all some sort of farce. Yet, improbably, this was actually happening.

The strength of his resolve was tested sorely a few times. Kala was radiant under the soft candlelight of the restaurant, her whole face lit up when he asked about her research. Wolfgang didn't really understand much of what she was talking about, but it didn't matter, her enthusiasm was infectious, he could tell she was just happy to have someone listen to her talk about her work. The rest of her family, he knew, was less interested.

Wolfgang had always been a bit of a loner, Felix being the exception, of course. Felix was a naturally sociable person; he could be friends with anyone if he cared to try. The same was not true of Wolfgang, he had a well-crafted persona that he put on if he was at a club, but that was not so hard, and most people just wanted someone to listen to them. He would tire of them relatively quickly. Kala was, as usual, the exception to the rule. It was well after dark when they left, the owner of the restaurant, a wrinkled little Italian lady, pressing a bag of pastries into her hand and kissing her cheeks exclaiming over her in rapid fire Italian. Despite her speaking no English and Kala speaking no Italian they had built up a bit of a rapport over the course of dinner.

Kala was flushed a pleasant pink colour as they meandered slowly away from the restaurant.

"I wonder what she was saying."

Wolfgang shook his head, "My Italian is limited to curse words and ordering espressos."

She laughed at that and leaned a little against his shoulder, he could feel the warmth buzzing through her from the wine. He recalled, belatedly, that she didn't have much experience with drinking.

They had wandered around the city for a bit longer, Florence transformed by the dark, the air now slightly crisp, sweet with the smell of perfume and humming with distant laughter from nightclubs and restaurants.

There was a group of street artists in one of the squares and they had joined a small crowd gathering around a man kneeling over a piece of paper surrounded by an assortment of spray paint bottles. Wolfgang thought he spied Lito and Nomi in the audience but he wasn't sure. He felt Kala's hands sneak around him as they watched the artist, his focus absolute, creating at lightning speed. Under his skillful hands, starry skies and old sailing ships caught in a dynamic sea bloomed. He felt Kala's wonder as if were his own, and looking down at her resting her head on his chest he felt almost like a kid, as if all the world were new and his mistakes forgiven.

So later, when she looked at him, sober as could be, but eyes bright and cheeks flushed, and asked if he would take her back to his hotel room, he was the one stuttering and blushing like a child. And then, as if she had not made her point clear enough, she had raised herself to his height and kissed him soundly, parting his lips and touching her tongue to his, before very gently biting his lower lip.

The street in front of his hotel was mostly abandoned except for a tall man in a navy suit smoking a cigarette. Wolfgang leaned forward to kiss her again once the elevator doors had shut on them. He could almost taste her nervousness, so he kept his distance once they entered his room, suggested they check out the balcony.

She was so lovely, lit by the golden streetlights below, glowing in her purple dress. He wished for a moment, idly, that he wasn't so shit at photography.

He could also see the tension in her shoulders, feel the knot of anticipation in her stomach. This would be, he thought, the time for some small talk, or maybe a witty comment, something to put her at ease. He was also shit at small talk.

Her nervousness was rubbing off on him. He thought back to his own first time, rushed, sloppy, mostly forgotten. Right. So, he would just start by doing the opposite of that. He took a deep breath and stepped closer to her.

 

Kala was cursing herself. Where had all her confidence gone? She had intended to be seductive, to press him up against the door of the hotel room, like they did in movies, or do something at least. Instead she was standing stiffly next to him, more like an awkward business meeting than anything. Was she supposed to proposition him again? What should she say? One of Lito's more outrageous lines floated through her head. Dear god no. Just as she was about to say something, anything, to break the silence, she heard him exhale softly and step closer to her. His hands gently rested on her shoulders, and she felt his thumbs begin to gently rub the tension out of her back. She sighed a little and leaned against him.

"Sorry," she murmured at last, "I am not very good at this."

She felt him laugh a little, "Me neither," he admitted.

Kala looked back at him surprised, "You have been with plenty of women before me."

He shrugged, and returned his attention to her shoulders, "Not like this."

She understood his point. Even from the limited dating experience she had she could tell this was a whole new paradigm. She closed her eyes at the feeling of his breath stirring strands of her hair, tickling the side of her neck.

She was becoming so relaxed that she getting slightly wobbly on her feet, when she felt him laugh against her.

"What is it?" she murmured.

She felt him shake his head slightly, and then gently turn her to face him. "Do you trust me?"

She nodded. He took her hand and led her into the bedroom, softly closing the balcony door behind them. The rush of the air conditioning and the sounds of traffic stopping and starting outside reminded her of the ocean. The room was dim, lit mostly by the lights from adjacent buildings. He sat her down on the edge of the bed, and then knelt at her feet. He took her hands in his and looked up in her eyes. The effect of the light filtering through the blinds on his upturned face was striking; all clean sharp shadows.

"It is like a one of your science experiments."

"Pardon me?" Kala burst out laughing.

He was smiling too, a little embarrassed. "Listen I was trying to think of things that you liked, that would help you feel more comfortable, and it was either this or Ganesha, and there is no way I am going there."

"Thank god," said Kala attempting to regain a serious expression. "Do tell, how is this like a science project?"

He met her eye for a moment, then turned his attention to her shoes, unbuckling them as he spoke, "Sex does not have to be this serious, do or die thing." He set aside her shoes, then gently ran a hand over her heel and up the curve of her calf. Kala swallowed. "It is about focus, passion, curiosity, attention to detail..." His lips had replaced his hands, "Action and reaction."

Her legs had fallen apart a bit, he settled in between them. Kala shivered at the look in his eyes, now dark and full of intent, but she wasn't afraid. He hesitated as he reached for the ties at the back of her dress, "We stop whenever you say so, ok?" She nodded, but honestly stopping was the last thing on her mind.

She shifted so he could pull the dress over her head. She felt shy for a moment before she caught the desire in his expression. It made her feel strangely powerful. Kala caught him by the front of his shirt, pulled his mouth to hers. She could almost taste his lust, metallic and sweet on her tongue.

He wouldn't kiss her deeply like she wanted, teasing her instead, tracing her lower lip with his tongue before kissing lightly down her neck. Nipping gently the skin there until he found a place, just below her ear, that made her gasp. He might have a point about the experimenting thing. She was suddenly filled with a desire to make him feel the same things as her, nervousness evaporating. The connection trembled between them as she gently pulled him closer to her so she could unbutton his shirt. He watched her, a perfect picture of patience, but she could see his jaw clenching, feel the self-control he was exerting.

She pushed the shirt off his shoulders, struggling a bit with cuffs. Felt him tilt his head to give her more access as she kissed down his jaw, sighing a little at answering tingle on her skin. His hands became rougher on her in response to her sucking his ear lobe into her mouth. She could make him shiver by biting hard on his lower lip. Eventually, she worked up the courage to run her hands over his arms, up and down his back. The skin, smooth on first inspection, was periodically marked with little scars, most old and faded, a few newer. She found the ones on his chest; the ones that he had stitched himself, and kissed them gently, feeling his breath catch a little. Their eyes met and she could tell that he understood.

He kissed her hard once, and then pulled back again, riling her up with teasing little kisses. His hands had barely moved from her hips and her knees were already shaking. She was reaching for the button of his pants, when he gently moved her hands away, murmuring 'Later," in her ear. Then he was undoing her bra and she entirely forgot to feel embarrassed, as he was laying her down, half on the bed, still doing the teasing thing with his tongue but this time with her breast. A tingling jolt of warmth shot down her body when he carefully sucked a nipple into his mouth and she felt him jerk with surprise. She looked down at him, wide-eyed.

"Did you feel that?" she asked a little breathless. He nodded. And then carefully repeated his actions. They both gasped a little.

"Interesting," he murmured.

"I wonder how that works," wondered Kala, temporarily sidetracked. Wolfgang brought her back to the present moment, with a little nip to her breast. She couldn't help but arch her back against him.

He kissed her softly on the mouth, before pulling away and working his way down her body, sliding her hips almost off the bed so he could kneel between her legs again, kissing up and down her thighs.

Tensing a bit as he worked his way toward her center, she remembered reading somewhere that men didn't like doing this so much, but she could only feel pleasure coming from him. Any further thought was erased from her mind at the scrape of his stubble against her upper thigh, and the warmth of his mouth as softly kissed her over her underwear. She propped herself up a little as he slid the garment down, marveling at the concentration in his expression, blue eyes intent, the contrast of his blonde hair against her skin. Then she fell back, collapsing against the sheets, quite losing track of her arms, because his mouth was on her. She heard him moan softly against her, as her legs began to shake. She was distantly aware she was gasping his name, but mostly she was lost to the feeling of his tongue parting her and making tight, slow, deliberate circles. He had one arm pressed down on her hips as they jerked and shook of their own accord. She felt his deep satisfaction as she buried her hand in his short hair, pulling, roughly trying to bring him closer.

Little electric tingling shocks travelled between them, she could feel them running down his skin, curling into an aching want just below his navel. Kala gasped as she felt his fingers enter her; they were so much wider than hers. At first, he barely moved them, and then she felt a delicious pressure begin to build in her as he curled them inside her, stroking gently still moving his tongue in tight little circles.

With skillful, precise movements he brought her to the edge, until they were both covered in a light sheen of sweat, and her knees were shaking uncontrollably. Wolfgang's free hand was clenched in a fist as he fought to remain focused. She had begun whimpering constantly, thighs clenched tight around his head, when he slipped a third finger into her at the same time as he sucked down hard.

Aching warmth shot through her and suddenly she was clenching hard on his fingers, while waves a pure mindless bliss crashed over her. She felt him bury his face in her thigh to muffle his groan. They both collapsed feeling rather boneless, Kala sinking back into the bed and Wolfgang sliding a little down the floor, before slowly picking himself up and staggering out of his pants and boxers.

He collapsed beside her, staring at her expression a little awed. Kala tried to catch her breath, languorous warmth still spreading through her, eyes half closed.

"Interesting," he repeated at last, somewhat faintly. Kala giggled a little and peaked over at him; he was lying on his side facing her. She reached for him, feeling cold now that the aftershocks were starting to fade. He tucked them both under the covers. As she pressed against him she could feel him still hard against her, but he didn't seem to be in a rush to do anything about it, and she was still having trouble locating a few of her extremities.

Kala blushed a little as they made eye contact, the lower part of his face was still slightly wet and he smelled faintly like her. "So you felt what I felt then?"

He nodded. "Is it always like that?"

Kala thought back to the few orgasms she had experienced before him. "No, that was much more intense." She flushed again. She could detect just the slightest hint of smugness coming from him at that, but he didn't say anything more, instead nuzzling her jaw lightly and wrapping an arm around her. Fingertips tracing lazy shapes on her skin as her heart beat slowed - her legs were still shaking.

He was trying very hard to be on his best behavior, she could tell, focusing only on her pleasure and not his. But when she felt him twitch a little against her, she was suddenly aware of an aching wetness between her legs again. Clearly, this worked both ways. Slowly she slipped her hand between them to touch him lightly. In unfamiliar territory, she tried to recall any of Lito's extensive advice. She heard him softly rumble with pleasure when she tightened her grip a little and stroked downwards once. He leaned back against the headboard, lying on his back to grant her easier access. Wolfgang's eyes were half lidded, watching her with a mixture of languid heat and predatory lust. She shivered, and leaned forward to kiss him, tracing his lips with her tongue like he had earlier, faintly tasting herself on him, mixed pleasantly with the scent of his skin, while her hands continued their explorations.

He was beautifully made, his body well cared for, with broad shoulders, and lean muscular legs. Even more than though, though, he was all appealing contrasts, the charming little dimples in his cheeks, the graceful curve of his clavicles, the strong v shape at the inner boundaries of his hips softened by the fine blonde hair that began at his navel and continued downwards. Her curiosity got the better of her, and for a moment she just looked, feeling the heaviness of him in her hand, silken feeling of his skin, the curious tingle that built up between them when she stroked him just so.

Carefully, slowly, she lowered her head, tentatively licking just once. She had to pull away for a moment, as the sensations that caused reverberated between them. Took a moment to look up at him as he bit his lip, his hands gripped the sheets beside her head. She knew he wanted to grab her head, pull her closer, and get her to move faster, just as she had earlier. Kala did her best, leaning in again and taking him as far as she could into her mouth, legs shaking at the unhinged pleasure that rushed through them as she did. Her upper thighs pressed tightly together, trying to ease the wet and shivering feeling at her core.

She was working up a good rhythm, stroking with her hands what she couldn't fit in her mouth, when she heard him gasp her name and then pull her off him.

Confused, she looked up at him; she knew he hadn't stopped her because he wasn't enjoying himself. Wolfgang pulled her over him, so they were eye to eye and she was straddling him. Kissing her thoroughly, pressing her to him so their teeth almost touched and she could suck on his tongue, one hand sliding between her legs. She felt him moan softly at how wet she was, biting down on her breasts, fingers kneading her while the other hand fumbled in the drawer of the bedside table. She heard the crackle of the foil condom wrapper and understood.

"Here," she took it from his hand, " I have had a lot of instruction."

She thought of Nomi's thorough plane ride sex-ed class and they laughed softly. He took her hands in his once she had finished rolling the condom on, positioning them so he was just nudging her entrance as she held herself over him.

"Go as slowly as you need," he murmured, and she suddenly understood why he had chosen this position, he was trying to give her the most control. She was suddenly filled with tenderness at his consideration. "Squeeze my hands if it hurts."

She nodded and met his eye, trying to convey her gratitude, her respect for him; her love, his expression softened. "Thank you," she whispered.

The feeling of him inside her was indescribable, she felt her head tip back in ecstasy, the pain she had been expecting didn't come. Instead her body relaxed around him, there was a rightness about they way they fit together, she felt only a moment's resistance and then it was gone. For a moment she was still, adjusting to the unfamiliar fullness of him. His eyes were wide, awed. Her muscles fluttered involuntarily around him and they both had to bite back a moan. Slowly, she began to move, guided by instinct and his hands, which had moved to her hips.

They lost themselves after that, the connection taking over them, until they were no longer sure which body was whose. The world shattered as they climaxed; Kala had fleeting impressions of golden light, silky skin with goose-bumps running up and down, noise distorted as if underwater, floating, with no need to come up for air.

And then it was just him, breath unsteady has he leaned his face into her neck, the hard clenching of his stomach muscles, eyes with dark, dark, pupils and light blond lashes, pressing hard against her for a moment all aggression and need. Before he went limp beneath her, a warm flush suffusing his skin, and her name escaping him like a litany.

Finally, they fell apart, to lie side-by-side panting. The room seemed to shimmer slightly around them, and she wasn't sure if she had double vision or if she was seeing through both their eyes still. Wolfgang let out a shaky sigh and then cursed softly under his breath.

"Fuck."

Kala had to try a few times before she could speak. Her voice was hoarse, like she had been shouting. Had she been shouting?

"Interesting," she managed at last. His laughter shook the bed slightly. He turned his head to look at her.

"You ok?" he asked, running a finger over her cheek.

She nodded. "And you?"

He shook his head jokingly, "I'm ruined, I'll never be able to have normal sex again; it will just be too boring."

Kala laughed a little, "So you are not planning on leaving me then?"

"Never," he promised, his expression was suddenly serious. "I – I'm not good at this but –"

"- It's alright," soothed Kala, "I understand." She sensed his relief, his fear that she needed a big emotional confession he couldn't give. She softly kissed him, and felt him relax. The bed shifted as he sat up, and walked slowly to the bathroom, still slightly unsteady. She listened to the soft rush of running water; she would join him in a second.

Kala felt an overwhelming sense of familiarity at the sound of him brushing his teeth, humming tunelessly, wash over her; it was as if they had done this a thousand times before. Her cheeks hurt and she realized she had been smiling idiotically at the bathroom door.

Sometime later, snuggled up together, the cool wind from the open balcony doors making the curtains flutter, she realized with a little ache in her chest, that she had never been this happy before. Wolfgang was already asleep, breathing slow and even, half on his stomach, half on her shoulder. His hair was adorably askew, glinting gold in the dim light; she felt a sudden surge of protectiveness. Things had moved so quickly, it seemed almost beyond belief that could she feel so comfortable, so safe, so quickly. I love you, she thought, and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

Finally, exhaustion catching up with her, she shifted a little to lie flatter on her back, and, resting her head against his, she fell asleep to the rhythm of his breathing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the kudos and lovely reviews - Next chapter is up on Wednesday. May the smut be with you.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11:

Morning came too soon. And with it came temptation in the form of a sleepy Wolfgang slipping a hand between her legs and nipping at her neck.

"No, no," she protested weakly, "I am going to be late..." But she didn't fight very hard, giving in to his skillful fingers and the bliss that followed.

In the end, she was only about ten minutes late for the opening talk; it did help, though, that the entire conference was being held in the lavish meeting rooms on the ground floor of her hotel. She crept into the crowded hall, adjusting the blazer and skirt she had hastily changed into, blessing Dr. Tambe when she saw he had saved her a seat. She could have elevated him to sainthood when he offered her a pastry and warm travel cup of milky chai tea as she sat down.

"I remember the first time I flew here, the jet lag almost killed me," he murmured softly in her ear. "Have something to eat and drink, it will help you adjust."

Kala felt a little guilty. He wasn't wrong, she was jetlagged... but still... Pleasurable soreness radiated through her as she shifted in her seat to accept the tea. A woman at the front called them to attention, smiling brightly as she welcomed them. Kala endeavored to focus, sipping at her tea.

"...It is my honour to introduce our keynote speaker Dr. Isabella Gallo, Associate Professor in the Department of Pharmacology at the Universita degli studi Firenze, and CEO of Chameleon Solutions."

The hall burst into applause, as an austerely dressed women walked on stage, moving confidently with precise sharp movements. It was only when she approached the podium that Kala noticed the dark glasses and white cane she held; she was blind. Dr. Gallo smiled coolly at her audience before clicking onto the first page of her slide show.

She was an excellent speaker, clear, to the point, extremely professional; Kala quickly lost herself in the flow of her presentation. Chameleon Solutions was a company that specialized in treating rare disorders using a combination of more affordable and readily available drugs, Kala couldn't help but sympathize with the challenges Dr. Gallo laid out. She worried briefly about Wolfgang; they had agreed they would start testing the drug on him tonight.

Dr. Tambe was a bit hard of hearing, so they were sitting near to the front. Unlike most speakers, Dr. Gallo didn't turn her head while she spoke, her face mostly obscured by her large dark glasses and blunt, utilitarian haircut. Which was why Kala felt a sudden shock like a bucket of ice cold water, when, while answering a question posed by a Japanese scientist several rows behind her, she turned her head in Kala's direction. She felt unease creeping though her spine; it was like Gallo could see her. Was she staring at her? She could feel Wolfgang and Nomi at attention in the back of her mind. Dr, Gallo's mouth was set in a tight line, even as she politely answered the question. Surely it was just her imagination.

Halfway through the day, nursing a headache and a third cup of tea, Kala remembered why she didn't go to more conferences. At the best of times, she would have been reaching sheer information overload, as it stood she was under-slept and thoroughly distracted. It seemed that physical contact had strengthened her and Wolfgang's abilities, which would have been scientifically interesting, if it wasn't so diverting. She kept accidently visiting him, flitting back and forth between his sun lit room where he was still lazing around in bed, shivering at the feeling of the sheets on his skin, the pull of his muscles as he stretched luxuriously, the swollen feel of his mouth; and her hard seat in the lecture hall.

"You are doing this on purpose aren't you?" she moaned, resting her aching head against the wall of the empty woman's washroom, on her ten minute break between speakers. He didn't reply, just rolled a bit so the sheets slid down his torso and stretched again, flexing.

Kala huffed in frustration; "I will get you back for this." He seemed to have fallen back asleep, but she knew better, she could feel the smug little grin on his face.

That little... she mentally added a few choice swear words.

Thoroughly distracted, she ran directly into a tall man in a blue suit nearly knocking him over as she exited the bathroom. She must not have hit him hard, because he didn't stop to listen to her fervent apologies, just brushed her off, handing her the purse she dropped with a look of cold disgust. Kala sighed; it was just going to be one of those days.

*** *** ***

Lito showed up approximately fifteen seconds after Kala left his hotel room, wearing nothing but a pair of tiny briefs. Wolfgang made a point of acting unfazed.

He partially rolled over, "Can I help you?"

"I doubt it," Lito sighed.

Wolfgang peeled open one eye to look at him. "You look like shit, man," he observed.

Lito tried for a smirk, "Well, I didn't get much sleep last night you know." Wolfgang was suddenly in Mexico City sandwiched between Lito and soundly sleeping Hernando.

"Nope," Wolfgang just reached for a pillow that still smelled faintly of Kala and wrapped his arms around it. "That's not the reason."

"They were protesting," Lito suddenly sounded choked, "At the premiere of my latest movie, some religious group or something, they found out Hernando's name." He swallowed, "They were threatening him, calling him..." Lito shook his head. "Calling him terrible things, it was the first premiere I could have taken him to, and I didn't. I went alone. And I am glad I did." Their eyes rested softly on Hernando's sleeping figure. "I don't care what they say about me, but they threaten him..."

"I understand," Wolfgang's fists clenched. He truly did.

"What am I supposed to do?" Lito seemed to be fighting back tears. "I don't have a career anymore, and I can't protect the people I love. You know people are even threatening Daniela, she didn't even do anything other than stand by my side."

Wolfgang thought about it. "I don't know," he admitted at last. Lito just sighed and stole a pillow from Wolfgang, stretching out his long limbs.

"Look," said Wolfgang starting to get slightly concerned by the intensity of Lito's mournful stare. "You are in the right and they are in the wrong. Their ways are the old ways and you are the future. Find a way to fight back."

A humorless smile flitted across Lito's face, "I don't know how to fight. That is your job."

Kala's determined expression, as she built him a bomb out of kitchen cleaner and spices flashed into his mind. "There are many ways to fight." He murmured at last.

Late afternoon was spent wandering Florence, the collective nervous energy of the cluster making him too antsy to lie in bed any longer. They would test the drug tonight. He could feel Riley hovering anxiously on in his periphery and tried to exude an air of nonchalance. What would be - would be. Kala had assured him that she would start with a low dosage so any side effects should be non-permanent and mild. He could feel her worrying about it even now, as some scientist from Norway droned on about anti-retroviral's.

Kala. Reason number two he was walking aimlessly about the city, and had been for three hours now in the blistering hot sun. What was the word? Paradigm. Paradigm shift. That seemed the appropriate way to describe the last few days. Wolfgang could hardly reconcile this reality with his life a few months ago, even a few weeks ago.

He should be sitting with Felix in their lock shop, smoking a cigarette and tinkering away at a safe with a classic rock station blaring in the background. Or perhaps he should be in some club, avoiding his uncle and his constant 'requests' that he help out more with the family business. But instead he was getting burned to a crisp, in the Florence sunshine, waiting on his girlfriend (for lack of a better descriptor) to come and test her drugs on him. Wolfgang couldn't decide what was most bizarre about this whole situation. Maybe it was that, despite it all, he was really fucking happy.

He must be losing his fucking mind; there was no way that this kind of thing lasted. In his experience happiness had its own steep prices. He didn't deserve her; that was dead obvious. Also, somewhat irrelevant, since when did people get what they deserved? But waking up, half-suffocated by her hair, completely enveloped in the scent of spices and something floral, idiotically happy – that felt stolen from someone else's life. Reality always had a way of asserting itself

Somewhere, on the streets of Nairobi, Capheus was shaking his head at his pessimism.

Collapsing at last into a blissfully cool café and ordering the first iced drink he saw, Wolfgang remembered, belatedly, that he had not messaged Felix. Digging in his pocket for his phone, he saw Felix had got to it first. Typical.

'You know,' the first message read, 'if I didn't know you were a fucking caveman that doesn't know how to work a phone I might think you got abducted by the Italian fucking mafia.'

Wolfgang snorted at that and opened his second message, 'Or maybe you were catfished by your hot Indian girlfriend (serves you right) and now have to go into shameful exile.'

The third message just read, 'I am selling the lock-shop and opening a strip club in your memory.'

He half considered not answering, just to see what Felix would come up with next, but finally laboriously typed a reply, 'I'm fine. Landed. Kala is a real person, shithead.' And then, out of spite, 'How are you and Nurse Felder getting on?'

Felix responded immediately, 'I don't believe you - I demand photo evidence. Felder is the most boring fucking person I have ever met, if I have to hear one more fucking football statistic...'

'I thought you liked football.'

'Nobody likes football that much.'

Wolfgang snorted at that.

Remembering Julia's remonstration he logged into his email. Sure enough she had sent him an update on Will's condition – stable, but she couldn't be sure if there was any internal damage because she lacked equipment. The officer from Berlin Police Department had also sent him an email letting him know that they were done searching his and Felix's apartments and they were clean. Good, thought Wolfgang, they would be able to return home soon, dispense with all this Swiss countryside nonsense. He suddenly missed Berlin intensely: his empty little flat, the orderly grey buildings, the weird little nooks that only he and Felix knew about.

He would miss the lake, though. Idly, he wondered if there was anywhere to swim in Florence. He could look around. Subconsciously, he reached out and brushed Kala's mind. She was eating dinner with Dr. Tambe and several other scientists, networking, he had caught her thinking disgustedly. He could taste the unfamiliar combination of basil and pine nuts in her mouth.

Perhaps he would go back to the restaurant he had taken her to last night. Wandering in that direction, the iced coffee that was way too sweet and milky for his taste still in his hand, Wolfgang suddenly became a aware of prickling sensation on the back of his neck.

Casually, he paused at a street-side cart and pretended to look at a map, scanning the street behind him. It was well after working hours, the sidewalks were crowded, an ideal place to blend in. He carefully looked around again, but nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary, a group of Italian businessmen pushed past him, straightening their suit jackets.

He followed closely behind them, and took a round about way to the restaurant; still unable to shake the feeling his was being followed. Luckily Kala was distracted, and he was able to repress that unease before it added to her stress. He was getting better at that, adjusting to the intimacy of sharing emotions, figuring out how to guard himself again.

The wrinkled old restaurant owner looked disappointed he had not brought Kala, but still tugged down on his arm so she could kiss his cheeks, before gesticulating at one of the young waiters who sat him at a little table by the window and brought him a glass of wine – "Compliments of Nona who hopes you will bring your girlfriend back soon."

After ordering Wolfgang kept a watch out the window, but he didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Still he couldn't quite shake the feeling something was wrong. Perhaps, he was just being paranoid.

It was dark again when Kala knocked on his hotel room door. He had felt her anticipation all the way from the lobby. Nervousness, concern that she might hurt him, and something else unrelated, a sensitive tingle in her lower abdomen, increasing her heart rate, making her press her thighs together. Wolfgang was suddenly very strongly tempted to skip the drug test all together. It wouldn't be so hard to distract her, it was easy to make her flustered, see her lips part, eyes widening, a little whimper escape her...

He really wasn't cut out for all this noble self-sacrifice.

Sighing, he opened the door. Kala was chewing her lip on the other side, carrying a large black briefcase in addition to her usual little purse.

"Dr. Dandakar," he gave her a little nod, and returned to his sprawled position on the bed. He patted the spot next to him. "Care to inspect me?"

It was a true mark of her preoccupation that she merely rolled her eyes before dropping the briefcase on the hotel desk, next to the first aid kit and syringes he had brought her and beginning to unpack it. Her hands were doing that nervous clumsy thing again. He dropped his act and gently took over, drawing on her knowledge. She would be a terrible shot, he thought, shaking all over anytime she got too nervous or excited. That filled him with fondness for some reason. He leaned over to kiss her softly; she tasted vaguely of mint and something sugary.

"It's going to be ok," he murmured, carefully drawing the drug into the barrel of the syringe. "I trust you, and no matter what happens it is not your fault."

She was unconvinced; he could feel her apprehension forming an uncomfortable lump in her throat. Wolfgang carefully placed the capped needle in her hands, leaning over her to kiss the top of her head, brushing his hands over her arms and shoulders, before pulling away, allowing her to gather herself.

When she turned to face him, she was all professionalism, clutching a pen and a truly gigantic binder. She took a deep breath.

"Please lay down so that you are comfortable, but you are still able to breathe comfortably. I am going to take your vital signs."

He silently complied, and felt her fumble at his wrist for the pulse. "Sorry," she whispered, "I was never involved in many clinical studies, I am a bit rusty."

Even so, he couldn't help but admire the thoroughness she applied to her work. Halfway through a long medical questionnaire, she started to relax, her voice becoming confident.

"Any adverse reactions to antibiotics?"

"No."

"Pre-existing medical conditions? Heart disease? Respiratory illness?"

"No." he paused, "I am a bit sun burned."

Kala rolled her eyes again.

"Current medication?"

"No" he grimaced and saw her smiling slightly as she moved on to the question of her questionnaire: Does the patient currently smoke?

She checked the 'no' box without asking. Thank you, she mouthed.

Muttering lamely about running and lung volume, he averted his eyes. No way in hell was he ready to admit how far he would go to make her happy.

The tense little line between her eyebrows returned as she wiped his arm down with disinfectant, but her movements were sure. "You will feel a bit of a sting," she said uncapping the needle, "It will take about 10 minutes for the drug to take effect and you should feel its effects for about 6 hours at this dosage."

She paused the needle hovering above his arm. "I will of course be here the whole time." There was a slight quaver to her voice now; he took her free hand in his. The cluster was with them now their anxious eyes on the two of them.

"On the count of three?"

She nodded. "One...Two...Three..." There was a pinch and a sting and then she was turning, capping the needle and dropping it in a biohazard bag.

Nomi was standing beside him, "How are you feeling?"

"Fine," he murmured, "Just a bit fuzzy, maybe." He felt the mattress sink as Kala climbed into bed with him, stroking a gentle hand over his forehead.

A slight ringing started in his ears and the room acquired a soft unfocused glow, belatedly he remembered what Kala had said about blindness being a side effect. Well he supposed, this was a pretty nice way to do it, surrounded by his cluster, Kala's warm body pressed against his side. He reached up to stroke her hair, but suddenly he couldn't find his arm.

"Kala?" his tongue felt numb, his voice thick, "Kala I can't move my arms." He saw her eyes widen slightly, but he couldn't hear her over the ringing in his ears. Panic started to set in. He saw Nomi anxiously hovering, her form shifting and warping nauseatingly, like a TV with poor reception.

He couldn't see Kala anymore, where was she? She had been beside him a second ago. A vicious throbbing pain suddenly spiked between his eyes, agony shooting through his spine, like every part of his body was burning, turned to flames that were trying to escape his body. The ringing was deafening now.

Wolfgang wanted to curl up and cover his ears with his hands but he couldn't move, not even to blink. He couldn't help it; he blacked out.

*** *** ***

It hadn't even taken five minutes. Within moments of injecting the drug Wolfgang has started to tremor against her, entire body shaking. He had begun to speak, slowly growing incoherent and then whimpering, this terrifying heart-rending noise that was so unlike him. Kala had frozen as his eyes darted back and forth unseeing.

This went on for several agonizing minutes, Kala desperately taking his hands, begging him to tell her where it hurt, wishing she could do something, anything, to make it stop. She was leaning over him stroking his clammy skin, whispering his name, any soothing thing she could think of - when suddenly, she was overcome by a sharp pinch in her mind.

It was a very clean, neat sensation –a snap, like a stick breaking, or a door closing sharply.

Then her awareness of him was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter up on Sunday!


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12:

A terrible stillness had set over Wolfgang's body. Kala reached for him mentally, but there was nothing, just the physical reality of the pale, still, form beside her. With fumbling fingers she reached for his pulse, leaned over him to check for his breathing.

Relief flooded her; faint pulse, slow breaths, he was alive.

"Wolfgang? Can you hear me?" she gently ran her fingers through his hair, softly murmuring terms of endearment, as if she could coax him awake.

Slowly, his eyes fluttered open to stare unfocused, he coughed softly, voice hoarse.

But when he finally spoke Kala had to suppress a cry of distress.

He was speaking gibberish. God, what had she done!

She leapt off the bed, surveying their limited medical supplies, what if she had permanently injured his brain? He was getting more insistent now, sounding angry, could it be frontal lobe damage? For the first time, she realized, she didn't know how he was feeling.

Kala forced herself back to his side, "I can't understand you," she whispered, trying to be soothing. The rest of the cluster was looking on, frozen in horror, "Can you try repeating what you just said?"

A frown line appeared between his brows, eyes still staring blankly at the ceiling, then suddenly his expression cleared. He reached for her hand, and then said slowly, in thickly accented English, "I cannot see."

English.

Of course. Kala could have smacked herself, she was so stupid, of course she couldn't understand him. He was speaking German. The cluster gave a collective sigh of relief.

"Ok," she said carefully, also switching to English. "That should correct itself after the drug wears off. Are you in any other dis-discomfort?"

He shook his head, and then experimentally opened and closed his hands, "Working again," he said at last. Kala nodded and then remembered he couldn't see her.

Sun walked up to him, "Can you hear me?" she asked. Wolfgang didn't respond.

"Can you hear Sun?" asked Kala. Wolfgang shook his head again. Lito sucked in a breath behind her, "It worked." In turn, the cluster walked up to him calling his name, even reaching for his hand or touching his shoulder. He gave no response; he could not sense them at all. Kala frantically took notes.

Slowly the cluster faded back to their lives, both awed and slightly off balance, the absence of Wolfgang amplifying the ache that Will's numbness already caused. The connection felt oddly echo-y, like an empty warehouse or a large room without enough furniture to fill it.

Wolfgang, in contrast, looked smaller somehow - like a child dressed in clothing that was slightly too big for him. Kala eventually returned to the bed, wrapping him in her arms, his head tucked into its spot at the crook of her shoulder. She was reading to him, in between checking his vitals, a book of poetry from one of Daya's classes she had forgotten was in her bag, it was in Hindi, so of course he couldn't understand a word of it, but the flow of words was soothing. He was playing with her fingers; she didn't have to be connected with him to feel his restlessness. He was bored, now that the pain and disorientation of the drug had dissipated. She knew boredom was dangerous for him, gave him too much time to think.

"Are you alright?" she murmured.

He swallowed and closed his unseeing eyes; English was coming easier to him now. "I am lonely, I think." He looked slightly uncomfortable admitting that. "I feel really...empty, like someone came and took out my guts."

Kala snuggled closer to him, wrapping her legs around his. "Me too," she whispered. "I didn't realize how small my life was until I met you."

He groped unsteadily for her hand and took it raising it to his lips. It was such a different experience touching him like this. So much simpler because she only was aware of her own reactions, so much more complicated because she didn't know what he was feeling. Like only knowing her half of a dance.

She propped herself up a little, meticulously tracing the lines of his face, he had a little scar beside his lip.

"Where did you get this?" She asked softly.

"I don't know," he thought about it, "From a fight in Russia maybe? Or my father."

That curious feeling of protectiveness filled Kala again. The world had been so terribly unfair to him, she felt this itching ache behind her jaw, this desire to wrap him safely in her arms and keep him from any harm. A silly notion of course, he didn't need her protection.

She gently kissed the scar, lingered with her lips against his skin. He sighed against her, capturing her lower lip between his for a moment, before pulling away, his expression serious.

He softly stroked her hair, quiet for a long moment. "I am sorry I cannot offer you more," he swallowed, mouth twisting ironically, "but for what it is worth, I am yours."

She wished then he could see her expression. Instead, she settled for wrapping her arms around him instead kissing him over and over. Eventually, he started to pant softly against her lips, Kala marveled in this newfound ability, the way he reached for her if she pulled away slightly, the faint pink flush on his cheeks, how with the touch of her hand she could make him gasp, feel his hips cant against her. She wished she knew what he was thinking.

Wolfgang started to smile slightly against her; "You are very friendly with your patients, Dr. Dandakar."

Kala rolled her eyes and pulled away a little, sighing, "You probably have a point; for scientific reproducibility we shouldn't get your heart rate too high."

"How much longer until the drug wears off?"

Kala consulted her phone, "About five hours."

Wolfgang made a noise of displeasure. He was still a moment, thinking, and then a self-satisfied grin started to spread across his face. He found her leg and started to stroke a hand up it. Kala gulped slightly.

"We don't just want Will to be awake while on the drug right?" he paused, then clarified, "We want him to be functional as well, otherwise he is as useful as he is in a coma."

Wolfgang's fingers were sliding under the hem of her skirt; her traitorous legs were starting to tremble.

"Yes," she began, "But, it –it is the first trial and –" He reached the band of her underwear; she seemed to be having difficulty focusing.

"And?" He prompted, eyes shut, but looking very pleased with himself.

"And- and," She had a good argument somewhere, if only she weren't so distracted. "And you are blind!"

The irrelevancy of that last point was brought to light, as he impatiently pushed her underwear aside. She shuddered as he pushed one finger then two inside her, thumb rubbing her softly, just hard enough to tighten the knot of pleasure forming inside her, mind completely blank. How did he do that?

She made a noise of protest when he slipped his fingers out of her, but he only smirked at her as he brought them to his mouth, sucking them clean. Her mouth fell open a little as he made a pleased sound, and then brought them to her lips. She hesitantly took his fingers into her mouth, very gently stroking her tongue over the tips.

It was his turn to shudder against her, "The things I want to do to you." He murmured, voice gravelly, before climbing over her.

He took control this time, but she could still feel his gentleness, his restraint, as he entered her slowly. Still scared of hurting her. Heat flooded her at the thought of what it would be like if he truly lost control. Someday, she would figure out how to make him abandon that restraint. But for now she was still lost in the newness of having him inside her, the stretch of her muscles around him.

It was so different without the connection, selfish almost, to only be aware of her body responding to him. She had to be much more attentive to determine what felt good to him. Measure her motions by the hitches in his breathing. Narrow her focus until there was nothing but the two of them.

This must be the normal way to overcome loneliness; was her last coherent thought before she was crying out, pleasure pulsing from her, digging her fingers into the soft skin of his back. Then he was following her, biting back a moan, and murmuring something unintelligible in German against her skin.

They lay lazily twined together as they recovered. Kala also closed her eyes, enjoying the loose feeling in her joints. Wolfgang was fiddling with bits of her hair.

"You can braid?" she asked when she realized what he was doing.

'Mmm," he pushed the strand of hair he had been working on over her shoulder for inspection. "How is it? I cannot see it."

Kala laughed a little, and examined his handiwork. Typical Wolfgang, it was nearly perfect, strands neatly and precisely woven. "Excellent." She smiled a bit. "I think you might be better than my sister, but don't tell her that she will kill me."

She felt him chuckle behind her. She relaxed into him again, but then curiosity got the better of her.

"Wolfgang?"

He hummed softly in response.

"Where did you learn how to braid?"

A slight laugh escaped him, "Felix has a stepsister."

"Ah" Kala raised an eyebrow archly.

"A younger stepsister," he continued, smirking at her almost as if he could see her expression. "Much younger, six this year I think."

The mental image Kala had was suddenly replaced by a female toddler version of Felix bossily instructing Wolfgang on the finer points of hair care. "And she taught you?"

"Felix doesn't get along with his father, and his mother passed away when he was younger. But when his father remarried a few years ago we were all invited to the wedding." He smiled at the memory, "I was doing a great job at not talking to anyone when this little..." he paused thinking of the right word in English "...How do you describe something that is both cute and annoying?"

Kala laughed, "I don't know, but I get the image."

He rolled over to blink blankly at the ceiling, "I don't know why she liked me so much, must run in the family, although Felix's father hates me so I don't know." Wolfgang shook his head, "Anyway she wouldn't leave me alone, and I didn't want to make her cry or anything and I couldn't find her mother, so I went along with it. We sat by the drinks table and played with her toy horses. Felix got so drunk that night he passed right out in the chair he was sitting in." He grinned in Kala's general direction, "Felix had very long hair back then."

"You didn't."

"It was not my idea!" he laughed, then added. "He looked very nice with braids."

Kala giggled at the mental picture he conjured. She smiled fondly at Wolfgang, "You are an interesting set of contradictions, you know that?"

He shrugged, a seeming little self-conscious. "I was always glad I was an only child," she watched his throat bob as he swallowed, "But if I had a different family, a different father, I think I would have liked a little sister."

Kala thought of Daya, with a certain warmth. For all their differences, they were still very close. Sometimes when they got in an argument with their parents; it felt like just the two of them against the world. It was nice to have an ally.

She closed her eyes and went back to dozing. He started humming softly in her ear.

She felt tendrils of awareness begin to spread over her not long after that. Fleeting sensations that were not hers, but were intimately familiar. He was tired, but pleasantly so, he was craving a cigarette, he was deliriously grateful to have her in his arms. Kala sighed at the comforting feeling of having him back before she stiffened.

"Shit!" Wolfgang looked a bit startled at her use of foul language.

"What?" he asked, he was speaking in German again, speech coming much easier. Kala could tell his eyes were gaining focus, she leapt out of bed and returning with the medical kit. She shone a light in his eyes and saw his pupils respond.

Kala started cursing under her breath. He was looking more than a little concerned, she forced herself to calm down, and explain.

"It has barely been two hours and the drug is already loosing its effect." She sat next to him. "That is very not good. I have been working on this theory; both Will and Riley have extremely high drug tolerances. With Riley it could be discarded, because she was a regular user of narcotics and various other drugs. For Will, it was harder to explain, but some people just have high tolerances and it is not like I could ask him –" Kala suddenly cut herself off. She turned to Wolfgang, "Did you ever regularly use recreational drugs, opioids? Stimulants?"

He shook his head, "Pot or hash sometimes, and I tried Ecstasy a few times when I was younger, but I didn't like it much." Kala absorbed this. Have you ever been put under anesthetic?" He shook his head again.

"I have," Nomi appeared at the end of the bed. Kala blushed and pulled the covers over her, recalling that she was naked except for Wolfgang's shirt. Wolfgang didn't blink. "Several times."

Kala pondered this, "Did anything happen during those surgeries? Did you wake up during them?"

Nomi nodded slowly, "The first one I did, when they were taking out my wisdom teeth," she shuddered, "I still have nightmares about it."

"And the other ones?"

"No they went smoothly, they did a very through review of my medical records, they were surprised that for my first surgery I needed almost two times the normal amount of anesthetic, but as I was in good health and had no history of drug use, they figured it was that I had a weirdly high tolerance."

Kala bit her lip. That confirmed it then. She cursed herself, she should have known, it was such an obvious thing to overlook. Will's condition alone ought to have raised some red flags. But how could she have known for sure until she tested it? And the greater issue, how did she fix it?

"I think," she began, "Something in our physiology causes certain drugs not to work in the expected way, sedatives in particular. "

"Couldn't you just use more?" inquired Nomi.

"No," Kala sighed, "The problem is I don't know if it is that we breakdown the drugs faster or if they are just less effective." She forgot to be shy and started pacing, "The seizure Will had a few weeks ago, leads me to believe that it is the latter, which is a problem, because even they don't effect the target receptors, his liver and kidneys still have to process and detoxify his blood, and their ability to do so is fixed."

She turned to look at Wolfgang and Nomi, "If we increase the dosage too much, he might go into massive organ failure."

"Shit." They both said. Kala bit her lip. What she wouldn't give for some lab analysis equipment.

"I need samples," she said finally. "Blood and urine from both Will and Wolfgang. And I need access to a lab that conducts drug tests."

Nomi nodded, "I will tell Julia, and figure out a way to get the samples to you."

Wolfgang looked somewhat bemused as she handed him a sample container, but he gamely accepted it, "I can get you into a lab if Nomi can find one."

Nomi sighed clicking away at your laptop, "It is not going to be easy, it seems there was a string of lab break ins five years ago in Florence, some athlete drug testing scam, and subsequently much stronger bylaws have been put in place."

"We will find a way," Kala opened the mini-fridge in his room and cranked to dial to maximum, it wasn't ideal but it would serve as decent cold storage. Wolfgang was still gaping a little at her, so she gave him a little shove towards the bathroom.

She and Nomi sat side by side on the bed.

"At least it worked," Nomi consoled, "Two hours isn't nothing."

Kala shook her head, "I suspect it will only work once or twice, then he will build up tolerance to it. The blindness is a problem too." She tiredly rubbed her eyes, 'This kind of research takes years, what I need is hundreds of case studies the ability to scan our brains, tissue samples, a degree in endocrinology and that would just bring us to clinical trials."

Nomi squeezed her hand. "You are doing your best, you can't expect anything more of yourself."

Kala sighed, "I know," she eyed the shut bathroom door, "I have had a few more distractions than usual though."

Nomi smiled slightly at that. "I am happy for you two," she said, leaning over to give Kala a half hug.

 

The rest of the evening was rather grim, Kala donning a pair of shorts she had brought with her, and barricading herself behind a wall of notes. Wolfgang wisely kept his distance, except to brush a kiss against the top of her head, bearing a cup of tea, and to soundlessly offer his arm when she needed a blood sample.

It was near midnight when Kala's laptop died. Digging fruitlessly in her briefcase, she realized she must have forgotten it in her hotel room. Wolfgang was fast asleep, sprawled out across the bed, breathing slow and even. For a moment she was tempted to lie down next to him and call it a night, but only for a moment. Sheer determination and stress had kept her going through much worse sleep deprivation during her graduate degree and then it had only been her own career at stake. Now, with lives in the balance, she could not afford to waste another second.

"Wolfgang," she whispered, gently shaking him, and then quickly stepping back as he startled awake. She kept forgetting how strong his self-defensive reflexes were, heart aching a bit when she thought why, "I am going back to my hotel I forgot my charger."

A little crease started between his eyebrows, "It's late Kala, you shouldn't be going out, come to bed.''

She shook her head, "I wont be able to sleep, and I will just be up worrying and thinking all night. " She started packing up her briefcase. "Don't worry I will take a taxi back to the hotel."

He opened his mouth to argue, but then closed it. "You will let me know when you get to the hotel?"

"I will," she promised.

He caught her hand as she went to leave, forcing her to stop. She looked back a little impatiently; he seemed to be searching for the right words.

"Are you going to be ok?" he asked finally.

Kala sighed, and nodded. "It is most certainly not the first time I have faced an impossible problem and figured out a solution, I just need to focus on it and nothing else."

"Ok," he kissed her hand and then let it go. "I understand." An image flashed swiftly through Kala's head, Wolfgang as a teenager, gangly and messy haired, staring down a locked safe, bedroom door firmly shut against the world, oblivious to time passing outside his window.

She leaned down and kissed him softly. "Thank you." His sleepy eyes followed her as she left the room, softly shutting the door

Time seemed to be conspiring against her. The elevator refused to come, and after pacing restlessly in front of the closed doors she gave up and took the stairs.

The tired looking receptionist blinked owlishly at her when she reached the lobby, apologizing halfheartedly saying there was vent maintenance going on.

"At this time of night?" inquired Kala dubiously.

The clerk just shrugged, "Vent company showed up late, hard to find reliable workers these days."

Kala just sighed and gestured at the door, "Would you be able to call a cab for me?"

The exhausted looking woman had just nodded and waved her away telling her to wait outside. Wolfgang had dozed off again upstairs.

She paced some more as traffic crept by, the air ripe with cigarette smoke and gasoline. Finally sleek black minivan slid up, and a large man with a friendly looking smile and a strong Italian accent rolled down the window.

"Sorry for the wait Ms. Dandakar, I am one of the hotel's drivers, taxis are very busy tonight."

"That's fine," muttered Kala distractedly climbing into the dark backseat.

As soon as she did she knew she had made a mistake.

The lock clicked beside her, and belatedly, she remembered that she hadn't told the clerk her name.

Kala didn't even have time to scream before a hand clutching a cloth wrapped around her nose and mouth.

Chloroform, she recognized distantly, as the world spun nauseatingly, there must have been someone hiding in the seat behind her.

There was a sharp prick in her arm, and a warm and ringing unconsciousness pulled her under.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Next chapter is on THURSDAY because life.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13:

Steiner had liked to play tricks on him while he was sleeping. Childish things at first, drawing on him, or putting the frogs and slugs he found in Sergi's garden in his bed. Then later, more violent dangerous games, coming into his room with a fist full of darts or throwing knives and some of his older friends, or pressing a pillow over his face until he woke gasping and clawing for air. It was the last one that bothered him the most. That was the kind of thing his father would do.

Wolfgang was mildly claustrophobic, not that he ever let anyone know, as if he would let them use it against him. But he hated small closed in spaces, basements, closets, he barely tolerated elevators or the sensation of having something pressed over his eyes, unable to see, reaching blindly.

He had learned how to swim with his eyes open almost immediately. He had learned how to wake instantly and violently if anyone touched him when he wasn't expecting it. And he had learned how to sense a trap far better than most.

Which was why he was fucking kicking himself now.

Loose and sleepy from the combined vigors of sex and the after effects of the drugs, he had disregarded the quiet clanking noises underneath the grey tile floor of his room, and passed the hissing sound of gas softly escaping its tank off as the air brakes of distant tour buses. It wasn't until the cloying, choking sensation of inhaling something that wasn't air had filled him that he realized, and by then it was far too late.

A several figures dressed in black swam in and out of his vision, lifting his unresisting body. The hotel wallpaper was bleeding into one violet swirl, and he couldn't figure out where his hands had gone. He was only faintly aware of one thing before they fastened a blindfold over his eyes, a soft whisper in his ear, English, made musical by a strong Italian accent,

"Try to escape and the Indian woman dies."

Then a firm pat on his chest, the feeling of being strapped to a gurney, handcuffs, a van, flashing lights, distant panic, then nothing.

He woke in an empty enclosure, windowless of course, with a one-way view screen, like a police interrogation room. He blinked through the fogginess left by the drug, then closed his eyes and continued to lie perfectly still. He slowed his breathing and listened to the heart-rate monitor he was hooked up to quiet it's beeping.

He could use the buckle of his watch to pick the handcuffs. He always wore it loose enough to undo with one hand. The view screen was a problem, it would be best to run the gurney directly at the screen, cause panic. His feet were free. Good.

He could make it to the door in less than four minutes if he put his mind to it.

Try to escape and the Indian woman dies. He was fool for forgetting that none of them were safe. He was a fool for letting his guard down. He was a fool for leaving the people he cared about alone.

Wolfgang repressed a sigh and a tremor of fear, he still couldn't feel her. Still couldn't feel any of them, really. He kept reaching for them but they were sliding away from his grasp, slippery, incorporeal.

Fuck.

A tall blandly handsome man in his late thirties came in the room; he was armed, muscular with a military haircut. In his wake scurried an older woman, a large leather bag clutched in her hand. With her other hand she pulled a cart, heaped with an assortment of machines and shining focused on his breathing, already beginning to retreat mentally. He had become good at this, divorcing himself from his body and its sensations. It would not break him whatever they did. There didn't seem to be any equipment for a lobotomy, so in a way he could consider himself lucky. For now. Wolfgang braced himself, and prayed silently to a god he didn't believe in, that Kala would find some way to escape.

 

*** *** ***

Kala woke up as they were bringing her to the MRI, she was handcuffed to a wheelchair. Sun was standing next to her, expression grim.

"Don't speak, keep your eyes closed," she murmured. "They also have Wolfgang."

Kala had to stifle a cry of distress.

"I tried to reach him a few moments ago, but I couldn't, he kept slipping from my mind."

Kala was suddenly curled up uncomfortably in Sun's hard bunk. It was night, the woman sleeping above her snored. "Did they give him something?"

"No," Sun was watching the nurses prep the MRI. An ominous clanking sound started through a pair of double doors in front of her "They gassed him though."

Kala shuddered in fear, images from Will's mind, a little girl, brains exposed, sanctity of her mind violated. No. No, she thought. She did not allow herself to consider what life without Wolfgang would be like. She could not fathom the awful emptiness, the aching silence, the absence of his warm and steady presence beside her, a little jaded, a little dangerous, but always there. No.

Sun watched approvingly as her hands curled into fists. "They will need to un-cuff you to get you into the machine."

"No metal allowed," murmured Kala. She could work with that. Through Sun's eyes she looked around the room. There were two nurses, one a tall man with a neatly kept mustache – slender and fine boned. Sun knew to go for his knees. Taller meant a higher center of mass. The second was a stout woman, in her mid-fifties, she reminded Kala of her mother, that one was going to be difficult. Wolfgang was still out of reach, but she tried to channel his fatalism, his cold effectiveness. The tall nurse was releasing her cuffed hands; she forced her body to stay limp.

Now.

Sun kicked out as hard as she could at his knees. They had stripped her; she was dressed in a loose pair of green scrubs, which made movement easier. He went down crying out in agony. Kala flinched back.

Sun gritted her teeth, made her back strengthen with resolve. The second nurse came running, Sun took her down with brutal efficiency. Kala fought back a gag at the sound of bones breaking. A kick to the head knocked the male nurse unconscious, but only just.

"Wait," Kala whispered as Sun turned them to leave. She knelt down and handcuffed the nurses to either side of the wheelchair. The MRI was still on, she desperately tried to recall anything she remembered from her Analytical Methods of Neurology elective. Fiddling with a few dials she heard the clanking increase in volume. Kala slammed the chair through the double doors, dragging the limp bodies attached to it. As she got closer to the machine, moving the chair got easier. She pushed the chair against the front of the machine. It made a creaking sound as it partially got sucked into the magnetic field and then stopped dead.

"Should be about 180 kilos of force," she said to Sun. Sun just raised a slightly impressed eyebrow and pulled her down the hall. The research lab, or whatever it kind of place it was meant to be, was oddly empty.

Lito appeared beside them, "The exit is three hallways down, I think on your left." His mouth crooked slightly, "I was keeping track."

"And Wolfgang?" A terrible familiar agony brought them to a standstill, before Kala turned and started towards the source. A searing pain was starting in their chest. Wolfgang. Sun grabbed a pair of surgical scissors from a nearby cart of medical supplies.

He was in the third of a long line of doors set into a long grey concrete hallway. There was a key card access lock on the door, but the light was green.

That should have raised some alarm bells, but Kala was slightly beyond thinking at this point. Sun was cursing her, as she threw open the door and froze at the sensation of the cold metal barrel of a gun pressed to the side of her head.

Neatly dodging the gun, Sun spun, sharply throwing the tall muscular man that was holding it against the wall. She brought the scissors to his throat, inches from the jugular. He was military of some sort, highly trained; she could feel Sun's despair as when he countered her hits.

"Enough."

Kala froze in confusion. She knew that voice. Slowly, she turned.

Sitting calmly and primly, cane resting across her knees, and holding a gun steadily to Wolfgang's head, was Dr. Isabella Gallo of Chameleon Solutions.

"Stop fighting Ms. Dandakar," she cocked her head to the side. "You have already lost."

The man she had been fighting pinned her arms behind her back.

Dr. Gallo stood and walked steadily towards her, Kala could see her reflection in her large dark glasses. Smiling coldly, she said, "You are getting sloppy, Whispers."

Kala gaped at her. Wolfgang gave a jolt of surprise in her periphery; she noticed his chest was bare, upper body and head attached by electrodes to some sort of blinking machine.

"We are not Whispers," said Wolfgang at last, voice hoarse.

Dr. Gallo didn't hesitate. "I have lived long enough to know his presence." She kept the gun firmly trained on Kala's head. "You both reek of his influence, he has done something to try and mask it, but it is there."

Kala was still speechless with shock and terror, Lito took over, "He has contacted one of us against our will, the rest of us are free of him."

Dr. Gallo seemed to consider this. Her head cocked slightly to the side as if she were listening to someone. Abruptly, she jerked her head towards the man that held Kala's arms and muttered something in Italian.

Kala gasped as the man threw her in a chair beside the gurney Wolfgang was lying in, producing handcuffs and clipping her hands and feet in place. Whatever they gave Wolfgang must be almost completely worn off now, because Kala felt as well as heard his roar of fury when the man ripped her scrub top cleanly in two. She was not wearing anything under it.

She couldn't help letting out a quiet whimper, wishing her could raise her hands to cover herself. Her shame was quickly overshadowed by Wolfgang's murderous rage. Distantly, she could hear him threatening Dr. Gallo, shouting in a mixture of German and English. The professor seemed quite unaffected, gesturing to an older women that had been cowering in the corner, hooking up electrodes to her temples and chest. She was wearing thick latex gloves, her touch dispassionate. The women had returned to the controls of the machine she and Wolfgang were now connected to.

Dr. Gallo took a few steps away from Kala. "This will hurt." She said, there was no apology in her tone.

Kala turned to look at Wolfgang, his body was glistening with sweat, forehead creased in discomfort, but his eyes were calm, calculating. She felt his mind wrap protectively around hers. Distance yourself from the pain, he whispered, and she had a fleeting impression of a bright blue colour, abstract patterns of light making undulating waves, the clean comforting scent of water and faint chlorine. Then she was gone, sinking away from a reality that was red-hot agony, into uncertain depths.

She awoke in an office, it was spacious and well appointed, clearly one that belonged to a CEO. Wolfgang was sprawled on the sharp angled leather couch across from her. The cluster was beside her, tense.

Nomi leaned forward, Kala noticed that she had bitten her lip and it was bleeding. Belatedly, she remembered that they felt each other's pain. She reached an unsteady hand to touch Nomi's face.

"They stopped the electric thing after only a few minutes," whispered Nomi. "Then Dr. Gallo ordered that the two of you be dressed and brought up here." She shot a worried look at Wolfgang. "He still hasn't woke up, he tried to protect us I think, I passed out for a moment so I am not sure, but it could have been a lot worse."

Sun was prowling the room like a caged animal, Capheus was carefully watching Dr. Gallo; she was sitting at her desk, typing steadily.

"She is one of us," he said at last. "But I do not know why she would do such a thing."

A calm voice interrupted their conversation, "You can tell the fighter there is no need to attack. I do not plan on hurting you any more."

Kala sat up slowly, Dr Gallo still sitting primly at her desk held up a capped syringe and a loaded handgun.

"I have ascertained you are of not threat to me, and as such I will be no further threat to you." She nodded towards Kala's right hand, "You can drop that vase. I have brought you here to help you."

An elegant hand gestured toward Wolfgang, "The test I did was to insure you were not being controlled by Whispers, he will recover quickly." Her mouth twisted slightly, "Your German friend seems to have mentally overextended himself."

Kala blinked, and hesitantly dropped the vase that Sun had grabbed. "What is in the syringe?" she asked warily, although she already had a good idea.

Dr. Gallo just gestured gracefully at the chair in front of her desk. Kala hesitantly sat down. "Drop the gun," she said. Dr. Gallo acquiesced, unloading the cartridge and placing it in front of Kala for good measure.

Kala stared at her in silence. Fury was starting to build up in her again.

Dr. Gallo sighed. "I will be clear with you Ms. Dandakar, I do not like you. You are foolish and young and your very presence here threatens everything I have worked for. " She tilted her head to the side slightly, "And you are soft. That will not serve you well, if something happens to your fighter cluster-mate –"

Sun's lip curled in disgust at that.

"- but you are one of my race, and I do not betray my kind." Dr. Gallo settled back into her seat. Kala noticed she was still wearing gloves, soft leather ones this time.

"We have not connected," she realized, "because you are blind."

"Yes." Dr. Gallo carefully removed a glove and laid it beside the cartridge of the gun, each movement meticulous.

"But you can still see, through your cluster?"

"Yes." The professor removed her other glove. She offered Kala her hand; hesitantly Kala reached out and shook it.

A tingling shock ran under her skin, not nearly as intense as with Wolfgang, but similar in some aspects. This woman had known abuse as well; there were curious rips in her psyche, dark dangerous places where sharp things hid. But there was something else, subliminal, something strange, unfamiliar warmth, wool sweaters and the smell of something sugary and wholesome. Dr. Gallo pulled sharply away and slipped her hands into her gloves.

She stood and walked smoothly to the window, each movement tightly controlled. It was a clear dark night; far below them the headlights of cars formed a patchwork river of yellow. Ideal spot for a monologue, thought Lito grimly. Almost as if she could hear him, Dr. Gallo smiled slightly.

"I was 'born' on two weeks after my twenty fifth birthday," she began, "I saw a man, holding a squash racket, standing in the first lecture of my career, searching for a ball that was no longer there. I fainted in front of 400 first year pathology students.

His name was Saul. He was South African, and he had a twin brother Ritchie. You never met two people who were more connected, even before they were sensates. They were professional squash players." Her mouth twisted ironically. "They were very kind, energetic, and in many ways very foolish. They did not know how to be discrete; once they became sensate they started to play exceptionally well. Played 'like they were one person,' to quote the enthusiastic press.

Whispers found them in a matter of weeks. I do not know what happened to our mother, but there was no one to protect them. We did not have a fighter like you do."

"I loved them as if they were my brothers." She turned slightly towards Kala, the rest of the cluster scattered throughout the room, "You understand, there was no choice, they were part of me."

She sighed, "He connected with Ritchie first, once he had one he had both. Whispers does not immediately lobotomize all his victims, if he thinks they might be easy to sway, he tries to convince them to turn against their cluster first. They had lived gentle lives before him; it took very little to break them.

Whispers found out about me, but in a moment of desperate courage Ritchie broke free and shot himself and Saul. His actions protected my remaining cluster-mate.

I knew there was nothing I could do to hide. I was a public figure, just beginning to make a name for myself my field. I planned to kill myself. But, -" A sad smile spread across her face, as she turned to stand over Wolfgang's unconscious form. "-she wouldn't let me."

"Your cluster-mate?" asked Kala.

Dr. Gallo nodded. "She is here too," the professor reached out a gloved hand to touch Wolfgang's forehead, and Kala fought the urge to smack her hand away. "She says he has a sweet face, the kind you can trust."

"What is her name?"

Dr. Gallo's expression hardened beneath her dark glasses, "To even admit her existence, puts her in danger. I –" She turned her head sharply, to respond to an invisible conversation partner, responding in fluid Italian.

Kala, stared. Was this what they looked like?

"No wonder Diego thought Will was going crazy," whispered Riley, who was tightly curled up in a corner of the room. Kala had to suppress hysterical giggles. Her body ached like it had been beaten, but her mind didn't seem to agree with that assessment. The entire world had taken on a sense of unreality.

Dr. Gallo seemed to have won whatever argument she was having. She stood abruptly and walked back to her desk.

"I planned to kill myself," she continued as if there had been no interruption. "I hid out in my parents summer home, in Umbria, I had even written notes, so it would look like a suicide. But I couldn't do it; she wouldn't leave me. She begged me to live, to find another way." Dr. Gallo smiled bitterly. "So I did."

She raised her hands and started to remove her glasses, "As his helicopter landed, and I could hear his voice cold and clear, hear his men surround the house. I did the only thing I could think of." She placed her glasses on her desk and leaned forward into the light.

Kala drew in a shocked breath; behind her she could hear Lito gag slightly in horror. The upper part of Dr. Gallo's face was mangled almost beyond what was recognizable as human. A mask of melted skin and red puckered scars, something that might have been an eyelid sunken into gaping sockets.

"I burned out my eyes with a poker from the fire." Her mouth so neatly made up and incongruous with the destruction that was the rest of her face, formed a victorious grin. "When Whispers found me I was nearly dead, and my eyes were mangled beyond repair. He could not connect with me. I was useless.

He airlifted me to a BPO facility in Portugal; the doctors said it was a miracle that I survived. Whispers thought he knew better. Once I was well enough to be conscious he tortured me for information on the rest of my cluster. Threatened to hack off bits of me until I told him. "

"I had already lost my eyes. You know what that means to a scientist, Ms. Dandakar." she seemed to remember Kala was in the room. "At the moment, there was nothing he could take from me, save my cluster-mate and I would never give him her."

Dr. Gallo slid the glasses back on. The perfect illusion of an immaculate businesswoman was back.

"She wept, of course for my suffering, but I would never weep again. I had no choice. Whispers declared me a waste, such a terrible waste. But in the end he was convinced that I had no other cluster members, that I had burned my eyes out from spite." She paused, "He let me live."

"What?" breathed Kala. "Why?"

"I don't know."

"That makes no sense," muttered Nomi.

Wolfgang woke with a wild gasp. Kala rushed to his side, reaching out to steady him as he sat up.

"There was a woman," he muttered, "In my dream, I can't remember her face, but she said that she was sorry."

Dr. Gallo made a soft noise that might have been shock or displeasure. Or both. Dr. Gallo approached them, she was holding the syringe, and the cluster drew protectively closer.

She offered the syringe to Kala. "My company is what I said it was. Our research is into combination therapy. The drug that was in your briefcase was a crude, but mostly correct attempt at what we have been doing." Kala cautiously took the syringe from her. "This is the refined version."

"There is not very much," observed Kala. Dr. Gallo nodded sharply once.

"There is enough for a three doses, each thirteen hours give or take." She produced a USB from the pocket of her pantsuit, "The composition, with some sections redacted for security reasons. "

"That will not be enough!" cried Riley through Kala's mouth. "We need more!"

Dr. Gallo's expression did not change. "If you have been keeping your... infected...cluster-mate drugged, as I suspect, you will notice he or she has developed a high tolerance for the sedatives, very quickly. It is no different with this drug. So far I have only been able to use it twice, before it was only marginally effective."

"What did you use on me?" asked Wolfgang, still slumped weakly against the couch.

Dr. Gallo shrugged, "Same drug, in aerosolized form with a bit of nitrous oxide." She addressed Kala, "If you are smart, Ms. Dandakar, you won't waste a dose on him, he is likely completely immune to its effects now."

Kala felt fury rise up in her again. "Why would you do this? We posed you no threat."

The gloved fingers clenched slightly, "When I said Whisper's let me live, that didn't mean he let me live in peace. He would send his sensates, if you could even call them that after he lobotomized them, to quash any ideas about revenge." The fingers relaxed, consciously taking on a soft, loose, form.

"At first it worked, but then I became smarter, the man you attempted to fight, that was my brother. He protects me. I started sending Whispers back his servants, piece by piece. I learned a lot about our anatomy that way. And he learned enough to stay away. When I sensed you in the crowd at my presentation, I thought he might have changed his mind, so I had Luca drop a tracking device in your purse."

Kala could not hide her revulsion. 'You conducted experiments on them? They were one of us."

"Were." Dr, Gallo settled into the couch opposite Wolfgang. "Sentiment and science do not mix, and I do not have the luxury a large patient base to be wasteful with."

"And the electric machine?"

"Something I developed. Each sensate mind leaves a signature when it touches the other; the pain draws you closer, reveals aberrant brain patterns. I know what Whispers looks like. Neither of you have connected with him." She reached back into the pocket of her suit and brought out a cellphone. "Use this if you need to contact me, but otherwise avoid calling. The best I can advise you is to hide."

She looked pointedly at Kala and Wolfgang's clasped hands, "You have something to lose."

She stood and turned back to her desk clearly dismissing them. Kala moved slowly towards to door, her purse was hanging on a coat rack. Wolfgang was sitting still, looking woozy.

Kala had turned back to help him up, when suddenly he was on his feet striding toward Dr. Gallo, jaw clenched with purpose. His hands were steady as they reached for her wrists where the gloves did not cover them completely.

Wolfgang did not snarl or bluster. He simply stared into the dark glasses; hands directly on her bare skin. They were still for a long time.

Then very quietly, he said, "You understand what happens to the people that threaten me or the people I care about." Dr. Gallo inclined her head once. He continued to stare her down, "If you touch any of my cluster again, I will destroy you."

Dr. Gallo started to smirk at that, but Wolfgang was already walking away, Kala could feel him firmly tamping down the agony each step caused him. He had been sleeping naked when they took him, so he was barefoot and still wearing ill-fitting green scrubs. Somehow he managed to look fell and dangerous.

They were halfway out the door, Wolfgang leaning into Kala, when he paused and turned slightly.

"Oh, and -," he said almost flippantly, "Marie wanted me to give you a message."

The smirk froze on Dr. Gallo's face.

"She wants you to remember the old quilt-maker and the king." Wolfgang's expression grew sardonic, "Izzy."

The lines on her face might have been carved from granite. Wolfgang let out a soft laugh that sounded nothing like him, and allowed Kala to lead him out of the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by my late night Youtube video discovery of people putting metal things in MRI's. Physics! Next chapter is on Sunday. Let me know what you think :)


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14:

In his dream, he had perched at a ludicrously small table, knees hitting his chest, crumbled precariously into a miniature chair. A woman was sitting in a rocking chair opposite him, surrounded by a sea of crayons and various toys. He couldn't make out her face for some reason.

"Hi," she said in a friendly sort of way, she had a homey vaguely French accent, "I am Marie."

"Hello," he said a bit awkwardly, although he didn't think he should be feeling awkward, it was his dream after all.

"I am very sorry for all this," she made a grand sweeping gesture with the hand that wasn't occupied with the massive pile of papers on her lap. "Izzy can be a terribly inconsiderate person."

"Izzy?" Wolfgang became distantly aware of a cold feeling in his body, detached agony as if it belonged to someone else.

Marie nodded, "She doesn't mean to hurt you, she is just very protective, I am sure you understand."

"You are delusional," he replied starting to get angry. "She is electrocuting my- my-"

"Girlfriend?"

"Kala." Wolfgang, suddenly felt edgy around this stranger, the urge to protect Kala from harm had returned, and he didn't want to get into why calling Kala his girlfriend seemed inadequate. "She is electrocuting Kala."

Marie sighed. "I tried to stop her, but she never listens to me." She brightened, "That is why I decided to visit you."

Wolfgang finally managed to extricate himself from the tiny chair and froze. "How?"

Marie's voice adopted a scholarly tone, "The eye to eye contact mechanism evolved as self defense - there is more than one way to establish a connection. Your mental energies are overextended in an effort to protect your cluster from the pain you are experiencing, so I can visit in a way, through my connection with Izzy and her proximity to you."

She tsked in a motherly fashion, "You really have to be careful, my dear."

Wolfgang blinked.

"Don't worry," Marie smiled warmly at him. "You won't see me again."

The room had started to morph and twist, he must be waking up. Marie beckoned him closer.

"You are not alone," she promised. "We are looking out for you."

Wolfgang caught the scent of chalk and a whiff of something sugary as she leaned towards him, "I want you to give Izzy a message for me."

Then he was back, back to the cruel reality of his body screaming at him, and his head throbbing like it would explode. Back to the feeling of his hands on Dr. Gallo's skinny wrist, and the terrible familiarity of her pain, guilt, and bitter, stubborn pride. He could destroy her, if he had to, if she hurt them. She would be an equal match, but he had faced worse odds.

He must have been weaker than he realized, the rest of the evening was a bit of a blur. He remembered getting into a car with Kala, her steady breathing rustling his hair as he leaned against her. Stopping a few times, then her guiding him into an elevator, the vertigo of that almost knocking him over. Then collapsing into white sheets. Kala was softly humming a melody, strange and comforting in his ear, as he slipped into a deep sleep.

He woke hours later to the sensation of sunshine on his face, and Kala gently rubbing something cool into the places on his wrists that were rubbed raw from the handcuffs. He peaked open one eye; she was dressed for work, but her hair was still down, curling wildly about her face. Slender fingers were sliding up his arm and lightly over his chest, soothing and soft. The feeling of her curiosity drifted between them, the novelty of being in two bodies at once far from worn off. Almost worth being electrocuted for, Wolfgang thought, brain still addled from sleep.

He heard her laugh softly, and realized he was grinning dopily at her.

"Good morning," she said at last. "You snore when you are tired."

"Is it a deal-breaker?"

She leaned over and kissed him, "Very nearly." But he could feel her amusement, tempered by relief and worry.

Memories of yesterday were starting to filter into his consciousness, "What are we going to do about Will?"

"I don't know," she sighed and wiped her hands on a towel. "I will look at Dr. Gallo's research. If the drug works it could buy us some time, but not nearly the cure we were hoping for. Nomi is going over anything she can find on Chameleon Solutions, Riley is looking for another place they can go in case Whispers finds them."

Wolfgang nodded. "I will start going over back up plans for all of us. I don't trust Dr. Gallo."

"I agree." A look of apprehension crossed her face; "Marie is one of her cluster-mates, right?"

"Yes," said Wolfgang. "They seem to be at odds over many things."

"That's awful," Kala idly played with his fingers. "I wouldn't want us to fight like that. It would be like trying to fight yourself."

The thought was painful and all to familiar. Wolfgang changed the subject. "What were you putting on me?"

"Aloe Vera." Kala smiled a little, "Good for a sunburn and minor abrasions. Not much I can do about the other injuries, just some ibuprofen and rest."

"Yes, Doctor."

She leaned over him, hair tickling his face, she was tired and sore too, he could feel it, but butting on a strong front. "If you are good and don't strain yourself, I have something for you when I get back from my seminar."

"Is it sex?" He couldn't help laughing as she blushed. He could feel her resisting the urge to roll her eyes at him. She was too easy, all that endearing modesty and properness.

"No," she persisted, "It is better."

"Nothing is better than sex."

Her lips twitched. "We will see." With that she stood and gathered up her purse and a blazer from its hanger in the closet.

"I will be back in a few hours," she promised. He bit down gently on her lower lip as she kissed him, feeling the little of jolt of desire below her navel, echoed in his. She shook her head at him, moving away a little unsteadily. If his body hadn't been so useless and exhausted, he would have caught her and pulled her back to him, made her properly late to her conference, but as it was he could barely raise his head.

She threw him a rather adorably unpracticed wink and a little wave as she closed the door.

So it would seem his life was at extremes again. Safety, and an almost domestic bliss with Kala, uncertainty about the life waiting for him in Berlin, and then the rest of the whole fucking mess with Whispers.

"You ever consider who would win in a fight between us?" Sun perched cross-legged beside him.

He laid his head back resignedly. "You."

A self-satisfied smile spread across Sun's face. She gracefully slid off his bed and began to stretch out her legs, moving in easy controlled motions.

"Kala sent you to keep an eye on me didn't she?"

Sun didn't respond, just continued stretching, the blue of her prison uniform glowing in the sun.

Fine. He supposed he already knew the answer to that. Felix's book and his phone were sitting on the bedside table. Arduously, he pushed himself to a semi-sitting position. He had one message from Julia and four messages from Felix, most of them demanding pictures of Kala. The last one was a photo of Nurse Felder and him watching Conan together. The caption read: 'Look I have replaced you with a friend that answers his phone. Just kidding, the fucking idiot didn't get it. Said the plot was terrible. Come back please.'

The messages from Julia were more concerning. 'Will seems to be on the cusp of waking up more often. His comatose state is not as stable as it should be; he keeps twitching, even making noises. I have upped his dosage, but it is going to be hard on his liver. Nomi tells me he has a naturally high drug tolerance, I am switching anesthetics hoping that helps. Your friend Riley seems ok.'

"Ticking clock," murmured Sun.

Wolfgang sighed. The distinct impression of an oncoming disaster pervaded his mind. They were on the defensive; Whispers had them in retreat, which was never a good place to be. He picked up Felix's book, the glorious uncomplicated adventures of Vorgon, or whatever the fuck he was called, were getting more enticing by the minute.

Kala returned several hours later with a gift bag. It was bright yellow and had a shit-ton floral tissue paper sticking out the top. It was very her. He had touched her mind as she left the hotel after her meeting, but she had shoed him away, saying he would ruin the surprise.

Grinning widely, she handed him the bag.

"It's not going to explode on me is it?"

Kala looked scandalized, "Who would do such a thing?"

"Felix." Wolfgang rolled his eyes. He peered into the bag cautiously before snorting in laughter at its contents.

Mischief sparkled in Kala's eyes as he extricated a pair of very modest black swim shorts from the bag. She brandished a towel at him.

"The hotel has a pool."

 

*** *** *** 

It was well after dark by the time Kala had escaped from the last seminar of the day. It had been a particularly good one, but she couldn't focus. Nomi kept popping up beside her periodically to press her for more information on Dr. Gallo and the drug, and Riley would listen in, anxiously twisting her fingers.

On the other hand, Wolfgang was noticeably absent from her mind. He was swimming, mind as distant and placid as the still waters of the pool on the top floor. She stopped in her room to change into a conservative one-piece she had brought along for the occasion, before slipping quietly onto the warm pool deck. The air was pleasantly humid, and cleanly scented with chlorine. Wolfgang was cutting slow smooth lines in the surface, moving easily and steadily as he swam laps back and forth.

She sat on the side of the pool, dipping her toes into the cool water. She had no plans of getting in any further, but he didn't need to know that. Contrary to Wolfgang, she tried to avoid getting into bodies of water larger than her bathtub. Closing her eyes, and with a delicate touch, she reached out to him. The rhythm of his breathing was hypnotic, meditative. It was an extraordinary sensation to inhabit his body like this. The motions of his arms pushing through the water should have been foreign and disorientating to her, but instead she only felt the simple pleasure of stretching her muscles out.

There was a signature to Wolfgang's thoughts, she was realizing, the more time they spent together, the more she could recognize it. A distinct texture, almost, to the way he saw the world. His mind inhabited by clean minimalist tones, cool greys, the decay of concrete and slightly tarnished metals; all tempered by a contradicting sweetness, fierce protectiveness and restless thoughts that roiled darkly underneath.

A little splash of water up her legs pulled her out of her musings. Wolfgang was bobbing beside her, hair dark and slicked back.

"What were you thinking about?"

"You."

He made a little deprecating noise at that. Resting his chin on her knee, he asked, "And why were you thinking about me?"

Kala smiled down at him. "People so rarely understand each other, and even if we do our interpretations of what might seem to be a clear fact can vary so much." She stroked her hand through his wet hair, "At times when I was still in school, I would sit and listen to my professors argue over the same piece of data, I would wonder if we even all existed in the same reality."

"I sometimes felt that way too." Wolfgang absently walked his fingers up and down the length of her leg. "The work I did for my uncle, other people would enter a room and see ordinary things, and I would be looking for weapons and threats, what to do if someone pulled a gun on me. Even when I knew I was safe."

Kala gently brushed her fingers over his ear, feeling the wave of darkness pass over his mind at the thought of his uncle.

"You going to come in?" he said finally, she noticed a little smile playing about the corners of his mouth.

"Uh." She tried for a nonchalant shrug, "Maybe, later."

A slightly devilish look came into his eye; Kala had only one moment to swallow nervously at that before his hands wrapped firmly around her waist and she was hitting the water with an almighty crash.

Gasping wildly, as she came up and clung to him. "I don't know how to swim!" She felt him shaking with laughter. "What?" she snapped, still keeping a vice grip on his arm, curled up in terror.

"Let go, and straighten out your legs."

"No way, I will drown."

"Kala we are in the shallow end."

"Oh." Feeling somewhat foolish, she hesitantly straightened out one leg and then the other, and found true to his word she could touch the bottom.

Wolfgang was suppressing a laugh, "You have got a surprisingly strong hands," he said examining his arm where her fingers had left little pink stripes. "Impressive," he concluded with a teasing grin.

"I have always been afraid of drowning," muttered Kala, "Ever since I was a girl. The first time my parents took Daya and I to a public pool, someone splashed me and I got a whole bunch of water up my nose, and that was the end of that." She blushed a little remembering, "I wouldn't get in the pool again."

He quirked an eyebrow, "You didn't learn to swim because you got water up your nose?"

"I was a very timid child," Kala said defensively, but couldn't help laughing at herself a little. "I am guessing you weren't."

"Only around large groups of strangers," Wolfgang admitted, leaning back into an effortless float. "Other than that I was pretty much willing to try anything that kept me away from my father."

A pang went through Kala, "It's ok we don't have to talk about it."

"I don't mind." Wolfgang half smiled. "I know you won't feel sorry for me."

Trying to imitate his comfortable position, Kala cautiously leaned her head back into the water and then chickened out with a little yelp, as her feet started to float up. Hearing a watery chuckle, she shot an unimpressed look at him over her shoulder. "Not all of us were otters in their previous lives."

She could feel him rolling his eyes behind her, before she felt his warm hand settle at the small of her back. "Here, I will hold you up."

It took a fair amount of squirming, splashing and one mildly exasperated– fucking hell, Kala I am not going to let you drown – but sometime later she was comfortably floating on her back beside him.

"This is nice," she murmured at last, eyes closed, relaxing into the weightless feeling of their limbs. He hummed in agreement beside her.

"I didn't learn how to swim until I was thirteen," said Wolfgang his voice distorted by the water, "When my uncle took me in, it was the only thing I ever asked him for. I didn't want to owe him anything."

Pride. Another piece of the Wolfgang puzzle, she could feel it building in the back of his mind. He didn't need to tell her why he hadn't learned before; she could feel, burning as if it were her own skin, the shameful bruises and cuts he had worked to hide. How they mostly faded, to be replaced by his secret little smile when he finally learned enough to let go of the side of the pool, and lost his fear of the deep blue waters. Reveling in the sensation of freedom, of getting faster and faster, until he was the best swimmer in his class.

Their fingertips brushed against together as they bobbed aimlessly in the water.

"I am afraid," admitted Kala at last, so softly she wasn't sure he could hear her. Of course he didn't need to. He took her hands so that they stood facing each other. She couldn't quite meet his eye, watching instead the progression of the little drops of water sliding down his shoulder.

"I know," he murmured. She could feel the same fear echoed in him. They had both spent most of their lives being their own person. He out of necessity, self-defense, and her locked in the tower of higher education, the bulk of her passion safely directed at the bastions of religion and science, nothing so fallible, so fragile, as another human being. Human beings could be shot, or stabbed, or electrocuted. Or lobotomized.

Kala refused to ruin a moment together by crying. So she just smiled tightly at him, "Don't you dare die on me." She tried for a stern look, "I will be really angry if you do. So don't go and try to shoot a whole bunch of people with only one gun and no back up plan, or develop some kind of hero complex where you try to protect us all something stupid like that –" Wolfgang grimaced at her. "I can be quite scary when I am angry, one time when Daya spilt tea all over my favourite dress..."

"Kala?"

"Right."

"I promise I will be careful." He quirked an eyebrow at her, "As for the hero complex..."

"Fine," Kala couldn't help a tiny smile growing on her face. "I will be careful too."

He offered her a hand, "Deal." They shook. Kala returned to floating, experimentally flapping her hands to propel herself towards a wall, insuring she could still touch the bottom. A mixture of amusement and affection installed itself on Wolfgang's face; she could sense him repressing the urge to correct her technique. Trying and failing.

"You would move much faster if you kept your fingers together, like shallow little cups."

She made a face in his general direction, but followed his instructions. Fingers together. Basic fluid dynamics, she totally already knew that. Totally.

*** *** ***

Kala was fast asleep, laying perfectly still on her back, arms settled loosely below her breasts, like a pantomime of one the Egyptian mummies he had once seen in a museum in Berlin. She always slept like that, even if she started curled up on his chest. One by one, her limbs would fall away from him and she would settle into her orderly little pose.

He always sprawled. The few people he had actually shared a bed with had always complained about it, but Kala didn't seem to mind. Yet.

They hadn't talked more about what happened at Chameleon Solutions, both of them needing some space to think. Process the trauma and mystery of Dr. Gallo in their own ways, trying to shake the fear that Will might never be cured. Find distractions. Which was why Kala had spent most of the day buried in her research. Which why he had spent the time he wasn't swimming or sleeping trying to figure out how many times he could get her to make that little sigh she always let out just before she came.

That was his new addiction, the feeling of her fingers gripping his hair, and the shaking of her legs. He could lose himself in the meticulous cataloging of her responses, the little twist of her hips when she got oversensitive, when to back off and when to push her harder.

She would get this look in her eye, when he read her just right, a combination of awe and curiosity all framed by long dark eyelashes. Her mind would touch his, this perfect storm, fiery desire with flashes of electric pleasure, and he would lose himself forget everything; feel the pieces of his identity being blown away and then reassembled perfectly.

It was ridiculous, and it terrified him more than he could admit. He had worked so hard to avoid needing anyone, he had sought every one of his weaknesses and planned for every way they could be exploited. Then there she was, sleeping next to him, so trusting and so capable of breaking him. How had he ever confused her naivety for weakness?

The sane part of him was reeling, the rest of him however...

Tentatively he reached out to her, they were getting better at this, controlling the connection. Her thoughts were fuzzy, indistinct. Even as she slept, he could feel the delicious soreness of her muscles, the heightened responsiveness of her skin to touch. It would be so easy to wake her up, kissing gently at first, then biting at that spot where her shoulder met her neck, sliding his hands down the curve of her hips.

Wolfgang got out of bed.

His suitcase was sitting by the balcony doors; so he shrugged on a shirt and a pair of boxers, before slipping silently out to stand in the cool night air. Fuck, he wanted a cigarette.

Riley appeared beside him as he was desperately looking for something to occupy his hands. It was nighttime in Bilbao too. Julia was sleeping in the spare bedroom; Riley had taken to curling up beside Will most nights, the steady beating of the heart-rate monitor becoming a lullaby of a sort.

She handed him a deck of playing cards, and indicated he should sit across from her at the dining table. Wolfgang glanced about the barren apartment, windows thrown open in the hopes of attracting a cool sea breeze. Gratefully, he started shuffling the cards, forming neat stacks.

"Know any tricks?"

He shook his head, "That was always Felix's thing. You?"

Riley smiled, "Well, the cook on the ship we took to get here taught me a few, but I am too tired to remember them."

He nodded at that, now organizing the deck according to suit. They hadn't really talked much, he and Riley; he wasn't sure what to say to her. So, they sat in silence, Riley was fiddling away at her little yellow iPod.

"What kind of music do you listen to?" she asked, breaking the silence. Wolfgang had moved on to building a house of cards.

Shrugging, he replied, "Anything, really."

"No specific type?"

"My mother listened to everything, so I grew up listening to music that ranged from Wagner to Prince. "

"Hm." Riley fiddled with her iPod some more. Wolfgang returned to his cards. Exhaustion was making him feel light and giddy, but he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep. The encounter with Dr. Gallo had introduced a terrible, selfish, possibility into his mind, what if he were captured?

A few weeks ago, it would have been easy. He could have killed himself. While he would have hated to leave Felix, they had discussed situations similar to this. A life of crime had a way of acclimating a person to the idea of their closest friends dying. Although their discussions had focused on the consequences of getting caught by a rival gang, the principles remained the same: a clean quick death was preferred over torture and dismemberment.

But now, with Kala sleeping, vulnerable, just a few meters away, the choice was not so easy.

"It is the innocence," said Riley quietly, adding to the third tier of his card structure.

Wolfgang waited for her to clarify.

"That reason why you would do anything to protect her, it is because she is an innocent." Casting her eyes down, she added, "Will is too. That is what gave me the strength to drive him out of the mountains. That sort of innocence must be protected at all costs."

It was painful for both of them to recall, but he thought back to that moment in Iceland, when all Riley wanted to do was die. The emotion from Will was such a stark counterpoint to all that tangled despair, simple uncomplicated, pure. Innocent as Riley had said. Kala had the same feeling about her, one that had less to do with her experiences and everything to do with her character. The world had not become strange and threatening to her, there was still ample room for idealism, curiosity, and wonder; that certain brand of warm excitement that lit her face every time she learned something new. Of course, he would anything to protect her.

Wolfgang thought back to the moment he had exchanged places with Will, driving the ambulance. Goodness was the braver option, but darkness had its utility. They needed each other.

"Do you think Dr. Gallo loved Marie? And that is why she did it?" Riley gestured to the half open door of Will's room. "Like how we –"

" Yes," said Wolfgang. That sort of connection wasn't one that could be easily hidden. When he had touched the professor, he had felt very clearly the presence of a second mind, as hopelessly intermeshed as his and Kala's were. "Marie is an innocent too."

"I wish I was more useful," sighed Riley. "I cannot protect Will, like how I want to." The corners of her lip quirked, "Sun has been teaching me how to fight, but I am a slow learner."

Almost as if she had been summoned by her name Sun appeared beside them. Riley looked up with a smile, but it quickly faded when she saw Sun's anxious expression. Her prison uniform glowed an electric blue in the dimly lit apartment, harsh with its sterility.

"I think we are in trouble," she said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! As always, feel free to let me know what you think. Next chapter is on Wednesday!


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15:

Wolfgang and Riley jumped up at the same time, as the mental image from Sun washed over them. She had been sitting outside, twisting strands of straggly grass together between her fingers, when a blurry shape to her left caught her eye. Will. Gaunt and pale, face twisted with concentration like he was trying to fight something.

Riley swore, she and Wolfgang turned, rushing to Will's bedside. He couldn't tell if anything was wrong. Will was quiet and still, his eyes shut. But Riley tipped her head slightly, listening to the beeping monitor.

"His heartbeat is too fast." she breathed. "If he were in a coma it would be much slower." Wolfgang was already hammering on Julia's door.

Riley hurriedly explained the situation to a rumpled looking Julia, who was sporting a hot pink triathlon t-shirt and a frown.

"Shit," said Julia at last. "He has built up such a high tolerance." She chewed her lip, indecisively, before digging around in the large duffle sitting on the bedside table and injecting more anesthetic into Will's IV line. "The amount he is on could knock out an elephant," she was muttering distractedly to herself, "Not a large elephant, but an elephant still, maybe a good sized water buffalo." She started tapping furiously at a tablet.

"I can't increase the dose any more than that," said Julia to the back of Riley's head as she leant over Will, murmuring softly in Icelandic. Wolfgang nodded curtly at her, and then remembered that she couldn't see him.

They waited, listening to the heart-rate monitor slow its beeping, Julia sighing and leaning back against the wall, Sun and Riley still anxiously bent over Will. Nomi appeared beside them, and laid a hand on Riley's shoulder.

Exhaustion rushed over Wolfgang, he was halfway back to Florence, when a sharp gasp from Riley and Sun stopped him dead. Blunt and indistinct, but with a great force behind it Will's mind reached out. It felt sickly, misshapen, grabbed around Wolfgang like some sort of thorny weed.

He was already out of the room, but he saw through Riley, Will's eyes flutter open for a moment, bloodshot and animalistic. Darting wildly around the room before settling on the women leaning over him. Before a word was torn out from him, voice ragged with disuse:

"Run."

It had felt like the lull before the storm, thought Wolfgang. What had followed Will's warning was seven hours and forty-four minutes of frenetic activity. He had been keeping track. If Whispers was in Chicago, like they suspected it would take a minimum of eight hours to get to Bilbao by air.

Thinking of Felix, he had set a count on his watch and placed it on the desk in Kala's hotel room. Nomi tensely monitored air control; Sun paced and cracked her knuckles. They had already set up transport to Barcelona, which had more escape options. Julia was currently flooring the accelerator of a large RV while Riley held on for dear life, strapped in the back with Will and a serious looking Capheus. Amanita, sleepy and rumpled in a tasteful pair of lavender pajamas, had already booked a hotel for a Mr and Mrs. Larson (Nomi had had to dissuade her from an array of more literary pseudonyms).

Now it was just the waiting game. Kala had woken with a start when Will spoke, and was already frantically skimming the files Dr. Gallo had given her by the time Wolfgang had exited the balcony.

"I have to make sure the drugs are safe," Kala muttered to herself, "I don't trust her." This went on for sometime, Kala even sketching out little molecules on her notepad before she conceded defeat.

Wolfgang took a shower; Kala held her stress in her shoulders and it was giving them both a headache. When he came out, two-way tickets to Barcelona and a miniature Chanel No.5 bottle full of amber liquid were sitting next on the desk. Kala was curled up in an exhausted ball on the bed, too tired to get under the covers.

Wolfgang gently lifted her unresisting body and tucked her in. Eight hours and fifteen minutes; the sun was turning the windows a ruddy orange; his flight would leave in six hours; Julia was pulling into the hotel in Barcelona. Still no sign from Whispers, too much time had passed, he didn't like it. Had Will been mistaken? Was Whispers not coming to Spain after all?

Kala's hair tickled his nose as he buried his face in the curls. Her skin was soft, painted with the colours of morning, and she smelt faintly like him. That pleased the possessive part of him; the part that still couldn't quite accept that she was here.

For a moment longer, he just looked at her, his – not salvation – that was too trite, too clichéd. Just his. The whisper in his mind: corporeal.

"Stop that," slurred Kala sleepily into his shoulder. "You are thinking like you are not planning on coming back. It is only a two hour flight."

He just tightened his arms around her; Kala snuggled against him, wrapping her long legs around his. She was loopy with exhaustion, hovering at that weird horizon of exhilaration, anxiety and total collapse.

"Tell me a story," she said at last, "A nice one." She clarified cracking one eye open, to look sternly up at him, "None of that Grimm stuff, or what ever you called it, where everyone gets bits cut off them."

Nice stories, well, that somewhat narrowed down his repertoire. "If our positions were reversed," he replied gently massaging the base of her skull, "You would just read me whatever journal article you had on hand, no matter what I requested."

"Mm,"

Wolfgang rooted around on the bedside table before coming up with Felix's book. Clearing his throat somewhat uncomfortably (Kala giggled softly), he began. "Chapter 11: Vorgone's Revenge..."

Fourteen hours. He was sitting in Barcelona airport, staring unseeing at the ceiling while Nomi brooded over her third cup of coffee. Amanita was snoring softly on the couch.

"I don't like this," she said at last. "Whispers knows I know two of his alias's so it makes since that he wouldn't use them, but I am getting nothing, there is no way he could have entered Spanish airspace without me knowing."

"Anything from Jonas?"

"No," Nomi sighed, "I can't even feel him if I reach out to him. I don't know what has happened, but I have my suspicions."

Lobotomy. Right. The thought made him itch to be back in Kala's arms.

The hand off of the drug had gone easily enough; it had just been a matter of renting out a locker at the train station and dropping off the little perfume bottle. Julia would come by later with the combination and pick it up. The cluster had met about this in their hotel room a few hours earlier as Kala perched exhaustedly on the corner of the bed, hovering over her creation. She had, of course, made up a little slide show; learning from her previous attempts to educate them on the finer points of drug action. The conclusion: the drug was likely safe, but should only be used in the direst circumstances. It was far from a cure, more like a second parachute for a situation that was already in free fall. They had all agreed it should go to Will and Riley.

*** *** ***

Kala had been dressing for work when he left, the sunlight coming from the open windows glinting off her earrings and turning her eyes a warm gold. She had smiled at him as she ran a brush through her hair, peaking through the half open bathroom door, something that felt so familiar, had such domestic overtones, he was suddenly torn between running for the hills and falling at her feet in worship.

In the end he did neither, instead leaned against the doorframe and watched her, catching glimpses at the two of them in the mirror.

"What are you worrying about?" murmured Kala, not taking her eyes off the mirror. "There is still no sign of Whispers, Will and Riley are settled in the hotel, we are likely safe."

"I don't know," he admitted. She was right, things had gone well, all their careful planning had paid off; the move went smoothly. Yet, still, there was a slight prickle of unease working its way up his spine. "I just can't shake the feeling something is wrong."

The brush made a little clunking sound as she laid it down by the sink, her arms wrapped around him and she snuggled her head under his chin. She was good at this, this easy intimacy; it was so much more complicated for him. The mark of a loving family, he supposed. Gratitude, almost shocking in its intensity washed over him, it was so much better having her with him. Knowing he could keep her safe.

"Stop worrying," said Kala, voice muffled by his shirt. "You will only be gone a few hours, everything will be fine."

"In fact," she continued primly, pulling away to fuss with his collar. "It might be for the best." She looked at him pointedly, a slight rosiness appearing on her cheeks, "Gives me a little time to recover."

A brief impression of deep-seated muscle soreness, mixed with tingling almost painful sensitivity flashed across him.

"Oops." He wasn't sorry at all. A stern look from Kala forced him to attempt to corral his features into a relatively contrite expression. A second stern look, this time tempered by amusement, and he pulled away leaning down to kiss her.

Her lips were swollen, and she let out a shaky little sigh as he brushed against them. Fuck, that did not help his self-control.

A little smile crossed her face as she gently batted away his hands, which had begun to rove further and further down her back. "Plane?"

He nodded and sent her a little salute. "I will see you in a few hours."

Kala was finally shaking the guilty feeling that had been nagging her over not getting any of her real work done when Wolfgang appeared next to her. Resignedly she put down her pencil, and looked over at him sitting beside her in the empty meeting room. Will and Riley were settled, fifteen hours and still no sign from Whispers.

"Hi?" He was sitting in the airport, tucked into the shadow of the reception desk. He was also staring rather intensely at her.

"Um," Kala was starting to get a bit nervous, "You ok?"

"MRI," he said at last.

"Yes?" confused she, frowned a bit at him, "Magnetic Resonance Imaging, diagnostic tool that measures the relative densities of –"

"-You took out two nurses using an MRI."

"Ah," said Kala, "Yes, about that, don't worry they were fine, I saw them as we were leaving, a bit bruised, maybe a minor fracture or two, but –"

"You used an MRI as a weapon."

Kala was starting to get unnerved again, "Yes, why are you staring at me like that? I-"

But she didn't get to finish, because he had grabbed her by her arms, very firmly, nearly throwing them both out of their seats, and was kissing her soundly. Pride swelled from him, expanding around them like a balloon. Kala couldn't help it; she started laughing.

It took a bit of time to figure out how to get his hands untangled from her hair, but she was still laughing when they were sitting respectably beside each other again.

"I don't know what is worse," she said catching his eye, "The fact that you are so proud of me for weaponizing a piece of medical equipment, or that it took you nearly two days to realize that I had done it."

He dimpled at that, trying and failing to look abashed. She couldn't help reaching out kissing the cheek closest to her, catching his hand and wrapping it in hers.

Blue eyes met hers and there was a sweetness there that made her throat ache a little. His free hand brushed her bottom lip, and she understood what he couldn't tell her. What he was beating himself up about not being able to give her. It's ok, she told him silently, I know. The little crinkles around his eyebrows relaxed, and he leaned forward to kiss her forehead.

"I am going to teach you how to fight," he said, "With your fists."

"In case there aren't any highly polarized magnetic fields available?"

"Yes," chuckling softly, he gently bumped her shoulder. "Meet me in my hotel's gym after I land?"

She made a noise of assent then shook her head, "First swimming lessons, now self-defense – I feel like I am using you for your expertise."

"Don't worry, we can find some way for you to pay me back." Kala looked at him sharply, he quirked a suggestive eyebrow.

"Pervert." His laughter followed her all the way back to the dimly lit meeting room and the expectant humming of her laptop.

Two things happened at once.

First, Wolfgang's phone, long forgotten in his bag dinged. Second, as he reached for it, he was pulled away, pulled until he landed squarely in a dimly lit hallway. The signs on the wall were in Korean. Sun was walking in front of him, moving as if in slow motion.

A flicker of movement in their periphery made Sun jump, but they were slow, too slow, too tired. A baton cracked across the side of their head, throwing Wolfgang out of her mind.

She crumpled almost immediately, but that didn't stop the women in prison guard's clothing from swinging a second time. Wolfgang's eyes were watering in agony, he couldn't hear, the world was tilting nauseatingly. But he didn't pass out, instead he lay there beside Sun, watching numbly as the women bent over her, catching a glimpse of her curiously slack face. The scent of disinfectant and medical wipes stinging his nose. The thudding of boots shook the hall, as the other guards came running, shouting. The women, with smooth deliberate movements, pulled a gun from her belt and put it in her own mouth, casting one cool look at Sun's unconscious body before pulling the trigger.

Chaos followed. The cluster buzzed and hummed around him, a whirl of theories and half formulated plans. But he was numb. Shit, how had they been played so badly? His phone buzzed again. The noise jerked him back to his reality, as an echo-y voice over intercom informed him that his flight would be delayed. Cautiously, he withdrew his phone from his backpack.

There were two messages from Felix, one a blurry shot of a sleek black car pulling into the driveway of the cottage, and the second was just one sentence:

Don't come back.

Shit.

He was pacing restlessly in San Francisco, as Nomi ran the plates, confirming what he already knew.

"The car was paid for with cash, but the ID used was Russian." She turned to look at him, the image of thick-necked man on her screen. "Does the name Alexander Egorkov, mean anything to you?"

Yes. Although the Bratva mostly called him The Crusher, a ridiculous nickname, one that Wolfgang and Felix had taken the piss out of many times. A nickname that was no less accurate for its ludicrous nature. Fuck. Fuck. With the patriarch of the Bogdanow syndicate dead, there was considerable room for expansion into German territory. Assuming of course, there were no Bogdanow's left to uphold their previous agreements. His aunt, still in mourning, holed up in her summer home in France didn't count. He could be perceived as a direct rival. Why the hell didn't he think of this? With Egorkov's fondness for violence, and Felix still injured...

"We need to get to Sun," said Nomi, "We need to get to her now. There is a good chance Whispers is already in Seoul."

There it was, the crux of the situation. Wolfgang was the one that had the best chance of getting to Seoul, but Felix...

Wolfgang turned, his mind already made up.

Kala felt the despair of the cluster as his mind became cold and distant, his focus singular. Nomi turned desperately to her, "Please Kala, go after him. If anyone can change his mind it is you."

"No." Kala turned to face the cluster. "No." she was surprised at the vehemence in her voice. "I will not ask that of him."

Taking a deep breath, she forced her mind into a cold logical place. "We need to stall for time. If Sun can wake up, she will be able to save herself."

Nomi looked unconvinced, but nodded. "I will see what I can do." She was sitting in her apartment, bags packed, but unwilling to leave until the last minute. She needed the network connection.

"Good." Kala, surveyed the remaining members of the cluster, cursing Whispers, internally. It was a good move, and Wolfgang was their only remaining fighter, with him occupied, the rest of them were mice to a well-organized cat. "Bratva is not connected to BPO in anyway is it?"

"No." murmured Nomi, "I don't think so." She bit her lip, "I may have implicated them in the death of Wolfgang's uncle... this could be revenge, or territorial."

Lito swore. Nomi's guilt radiated over all of them. Kala gritted her teeth, "There is no time for that. I am closest to Seoul, I will go and see what I can do to help Sun."

"No."

Wolfgang was back, dragging her with him into the airport, a singularly dangerous look in his eye. "No fucking way. You are not going anywhere."

Fury rose up in her, mostly a by-product of this hopeless situation, but also... "You do not get to tell me what to do! None of us are better suited to go than I am."

"I don't care, you are not going, you don't know how to defend yourself." They were circling each other in the airport; Kala was fighting the irrational urge to scream at him; the stress and fear of the cluster boiling in them.

"Neither does anyone else, other than you! And you have to go to Felix."

He growled softly, "You understand why I have to help him."

"Yes." She replied, "And you understand that I have to help Sun."

"No. You are not going."

Anger didn't make her cold, like it did Wolfgang; she could feel heat bubbling under her skin, and behind her eyes. "I do not need your permission."

She turned back, but he caught her arm. Kala wrenched it away, she could feel the hurt flash through him, but it was quickly buried. She could feel him recoiling, closing himself off; caught off guard by his vulnerability. "Kala," he said quietly at last, "Don't do this, please."

Capheus stepped forward. "I will go to Seoul to help Sun. Mr. Kabaka has a jet, and he owes me a favour. I am farther, but I can get there."

"Good." Wolfgang nodded curtly at Capheus, and then strode off, his long legs taking him quickly away from them. Kala glared at his back. Yes, it was fine to risk Capheus. Capheus, who was no more of a fighter than she was, risk putting him in more danger from Mr. Kabaka.

"You don't have to do this," she said softly.

Capheus looked down at her, dark eyes sweet and gentle. "Sun has saved me many times, I owe her my life."

Kala nodded reluctantly, her jaw still clenched with anger. They parted ways; Capheus wrapping her in a quick one armed hug, before leaving to call Mr. Kabaka. Kala returned to San Francisco. Lito was sitting on Nomi's couch, staring abstractly at the opposite wall.

"How did he find out?"

Riley shook her head, "I don't think it was because Will overhead, he has not been lucid enough to communicate with any of us let alone Whispers."

Lito sighed. "If this were a movie, I would say he has been spying on us."

"He can't have been, because he hasn't met us, or even come to the same city as us," pointed out Kala. "Maybe he has a way of accessing Will's memories?"

"Can any of us do that?" asked Lito.

"No," Nomi sighed, "But we are still new to this, there are many things he could do that we can't."

A rustling outside of Nomi's apartment silenced them. Amanita was peaking out the window.

"Shit! Nomi, we need to get out of here."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh oh... Next chapter is up on Sunday! Feel free to let me know what you think! (Side note: Do I have a thing for Max Riemelt's dimples? Yes. Yes I do.)


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16:

The Russian was just and big and ugly as Wolfgang he thought he would be. He could hear the floorboards of the cottage creak as the man advanced threateningly on Felix. Wolfgang was tucked beside the back patio door, clutching a tire iron. Not his preferred weapon, but it would have to do.

Felix for his part was doing his best to look unaffected, leaning casually against the edge of a couch with a false air of leonine ease.

"Look," he was saying as Egorkov lumbered towards him, "Like I have been telling for the last four hours, Wolfie is not coming back."

"Where is he?" ground out Egorkov, in monotone English. They had clearly been through this a few times. "I do not believe he has...eloped."

Despite the absolute shit show that had been the last few hours, Wolfgang had to suppress a laugh. Felix. Fucking hell.

"Ok, ok fine. I have been lying to you." Felix put on an exaggerated expression of remorse. "You want to know where he is?"

Egorkov was now inches from Felix, towering over him. "Yes. No more lies."

"He is in Mongolia."

"What?"

"It is just he took the death of Sergi so hard, he needed to go an commune with his spiritual self in a yurt with -."

There was a sickening crunching sound.

Enough of that, thought Wolfgang. Slamming the patio door open, Wolfgang brought the tire iron down soundly over the Russian's head. The force of the hit reverberated through the bones of his wrist.

Fuck Egorkov was big. A hit like that should have knocked him out; instead Egorkov was now advancing on him in a blind, if slightly unsteady rage. Felix was crumpled over, nursing a bloody nose, but looking otherwise fine.

Usually he hated hand-to-hand combat, it was messy and inefficient, but he couldn't stop a slightly demented grin spreading across his face as he dodged the Russian's fists. It felt good to fight again; this is what he was meant for. This is what came naturally to him, the adrenaline, and the cool detached horror of the blood on his knuckles. He landed two solid hits to Egorkov's kidneys, before a meaty fist to his sternum knocked him down.

Pain pounded through his chest, clean and focusing. A solid kick to the ankles, and Egorkov hit the ground with an almighty crash. He was up in a second, hands wrapping all the way around his arm. Wolfgang dodged the next hit twisting to try and free himself.

They toiled back and forth, doing a pretty nice job of smashing up the kitchen. Wolfgang could feel himself tiring. A sense of inevitability had entered the fight; Egorkov was huge and highly trained, there was no way he could beat him alone.

But as always, he wasn't alone. Felix had snuck up behind Egorkov, brandishing the tire iron.

Shouting the most insulting this he could think of in Russian, Wolfgang ducked, before there was a dull thump, and then the unconscious body of Egorkov crushed him.

Grimacing in disgust, he rolled out from under him, trying to shake the pervasive scent of cheap cologne from his nose.

"Took your sweet fucking time," he muttered at Felix who was smirking behind the blood that trickled from his nose. Wolfgang tossed him a tea towel.

"You looked like you needed to punch someone," Felix helped Wolfgang tie up the Russian's legs and arms, dumping him the disarranged living room.

"Shit," swore Felix catching at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. "Fucker busted my nose."

"Not the first time."

"Still more handsome than you," muttered Felix, gingerly fingering the swollen bridge of his nose. "Help?"

Wolfgang sighed, and eyed his friend's mangled face, "You know, I'm not a doctor, we should really get Nurse Felder to look at it."

"Day off." Felix tried for a derisive snort then grimaced in pain, "He's skiing."

"Fine." Wolfgang looked speculatively at Felix, "Not like I can make it worse."

"Ha. Ha." Felix braced himself, "Isn't your totally not fake girlfriend a doctor?" One bloodshot eye peaked open, "Can't you just channel her spirit or some shit?"

Wolfgang fought back a wince at the thought of Kala. It disturbed him how hard it was to push her out of his mind; with a thought he could conjure up her phantom fingers, touching his skin. "She is not that kind of doctor," he said, refusing to meet Felix's eye. "Ready?"

"Did you- You two totally got in a fight!"

"I will set it crooked, so help me –"

Felix cackled, but shut up, there was a disgusting clicking noise then Wolfgang felt his friend's nose slip back into place. Felix groaned in pain, and then squinted at himself in the mirror, his left eye was already swelling shut.

"So what did you two fight about?"

Wolfgang growled wordlessly at him, and then returned to the living room to check on Egorkov. He was still out cold.

"Was it the sex?" Felix, followed him, albeit at a much slower pace, leaning heavily on a cane. "Was it the fact she is not a real person?"

Wolfgang ignored him. "Wasn't that the plot of Batman? The bit about the yurt?"

Felix looked at him with intense disappointment, "The movies, TV show or comics? Because the answer to all of them is no."

Egorkov chose that moment to wake up. Good.

Wolfgang waited until his murderous gaze settled on him.

"You are fucking dead," swore Egorkov in Russian, spitting on the floor.

Sighing, Wolfgang crouched so that they were face to face, "I have shit to do, what do you want?"

"The agreement with Bratva, are you claiming Sergi's position?" he glared at Felix and then turned back to Wolfgang, "I know it wasn't the Russian mob that killed him. Boss thinks it was you."

Felix snorted, "Nothing gets past this one."

"You are in fine form," muttered Wolfgang out of the side of his mouth. A throbbing was starting in the back of his head, one that wasn't caused by the tussle with Egorkov. He firmly pushed that to the back of his mind.

Fixing the Russian with a glare, he said, "I don't give a fuck about what you want to do with Sergi's territory. Bratva can have it. Just don't fucking come here again." He let his face settle into a threatening grin, and leaned closer to Egorkov, smelling blood and sweat, "You can tell your boss that what I did at Sergi's was not even close to what I am capable of, if any of you think of coming for me you will meet the same end."

Standing he grabbed a knife from the drawer in the kitchen. He hated knives; they were Steiner's weapon.

He cut free Egorkov's hands and legs, making sure to nick his skin. "Get out."

Agony was searing through the back of his head now, he was biting hard on the inside of his cheek to hide it, keep his hands from shaking. He held the knife up to Egorkov's throat all the way to the door of his car. Felix blew a kiss from the door of the cottage as the Russian drove away.

Wolfgang stood stock still until the car was out of view, then he swayed and leaned against the railing by the door, pain shooting through him.

"Hey, hey," he felt Felix reach for him as he crumpled, "What happened, he didn't get you that hard did he?"

Wolfgang, let out the quietest gasp, before pushing his head between his legs. "Not my pain."

He didn't have to look up at Felix to know he was going to have to do better than that. Forcing his jaw to unclench, he sighed and then began to explain.

*** *** ***

Thank God for fire escapes, thought Kala, hours later as she was simultaneously bumped along in Bug's cramped van with Nomi and Amanita, and sitting tensely in bed in Italy.

Whispers had won this round. Kala felt like a tapestry unwinding at both ends; they all needed Sun, and now to risk losing her was nightmarish. Nomi was hiding in the back of a van, having just made it out before the authorities burst in. Reaching out, Kala could feel how naked she felt, hidden away, disconnected, watching as Neets cut off her distinctive locks, and tied a dark scarf over her shorn head.

Prickles of pain spread across her neck and forearms, Wolfgang was taking a shower, letting the water wash away the little pieces of shattered glass embedded in his skin. She wanted to reach out, with soothing fingers and touch him. He had this one spot, just below his right shoulder blade that if she massaged lightly his entire body would relax. But, like a wounded animal, his mind was raw and shied from hers.

The dark thoughts were back, Kala could hear their insidious chant in his mind. Not enough. Not enough. Not enough to keep them all safe. Weak. Weak fool, to get distracted like that. Reaching for him only made it worse, she bit back tears; this wasn't a fight she could help him win.

Whispers would no doubt come for him next; he was the only one left that could fight. Distantly, Kala heard a ringing in her ears, someone was gasping, little desperate puffs of air. It took a moment before she realized that she was hyperventilating.

With shaking legs, she slid on to the cool floor, one of his shirts was dangling off the side of her bed, and she buried her nose in it. Men's deodorant, sharp and citrusy, generic detergent, faint whiff of chlorine from the pool, and even more faint the suggestion of cigarette smoke and the scent of his skin. It was so easy to forget, he hid it so well, his habitual isolation and aching fear of the contamination of that safety. Slow counting now. One and two and...

Kala was suddenly perversely glad Wolfgang was gone; he shouldn't have to see this. Closing her eyes, she could almost see the tangled knot of emotions in her mind, not all of them hers. It was nothing to be scared of; it was just like a puzzle: how to solve the problem of Sun. She loved puzzles; she had solved her first Rubik's cube when she was seven. Her father had been so proud, patting her on the head and calling her his little genius.

An intense wave of homesickness washed over her. For one moment of weakness she wished for her old simple life, the predicable routine, the quite love of her family. All that was gone now, never to return, not in the same way. She had made her choice.

"Courage," she said out loud. And then again, repeating it until she believed it, "I have courage."

Then with deft fingers she began to pick apart the knot of worry and fear that clouded her mind, laying all available information in neat lines.

Twenty minutes later she was staring at a map of the prison Sun was in, Nomi tucked beside her. Capheus was already on the plane, the loud whump of the engines pervading their ears. Mr. Kabaka had insisted on sending two of his men to accompany him.

"He expects us," she said, "But he is not so confident as he was with Will, he knows we can defend ourselves. "

"He didn't use the usual alias's if he is in Seoul," concluded Nomi. She was pale but composed; fingers steady on Kala's laptop keyboard. She had wrinkled her nose at laggy hotel wifi, but got straight to work. "There is not much I can do, I am just jamming up email communication and network stuff."

Contacting Sun was painful; the head injury was messing with the connection somehow. It hadn't been this way when they had attempted to reach Riley when drugged. Different then the one-sided numbness they got when they visited Will, where he was unresponsive to them, but they could see him. Visiting Sun was uncomfortable, so they relied on other methods. Emails indicated they had already scanned her brain; Nomi was doing her best to block their attempts to contact a neurologist.

"What am I going to do when I get there?" Asked Capheus.

Biting her lip, Kala hesitated; in the last few minutes she had run many situations in her mind over and over, trying to account for all variables. It's just a puzzle she had told herself again and again, until she had formulated a plan to get Sun out, until she came back to herself, her sallow looking reflection staring back at her from the glass of the balcony doors.

Grim reality gripped her; she was about to stage a prison break, one that could hurt innocent people. More than that, she knew her plan wasn't rock solid, it was risky, could easily be screwed up by one thing going wrong. The inescapable fact was that they needed more support, more time, more supplies. All things they wouldn't be able to get.

She was about to do the unthinkable, the kind of thing that defied the morally unambiguous world she had occupied, and there was a decent chance it would fail.

Sun.

Life is violent, she reminded herself, and this is what it is to be alive, she had to try. Lifting her chin in resolve, she took the plunge.

He was sitting at the end of his bed again, when she finally came to him. Face in hands, all too familiar slump to his shoulders. His bags were packed and piled at the door. Traces of dried blood smeared his forearms and the middle of his back where he couldn't reach, purple bruises were beginning to blossom on his chest.

Kala settled quietly beside him. "Hi." She said at last. He, of course didn't respond.

Fine. "I am sorry for yelling at you," she began, "I know that you are just trying to keep me safe. Its just -" Kala struggled to explain. "I don't want to be kept safe at the cost of others."

Wolfgang made a derisive noise, "Safety is always at the cost of others. I just gave Bratva freedom to fuck up my home city, opened the streets to organized gang violence, drug trafficking like it will never have seen before. And I would do it again to protect Felix. The choice that you just made, that you agonized over, to save Sun and possibly kill innocents. I would have done it without question, without any thought of conscience or sin."

She reached for him, but he leaned away, standing and beginning to pace. "I never had a girlfriend, never considered a future with anyone. You understand why?"

Yes. His mother, her lovely face waxy and pale, tucked in a glossy brown coffin filled her mind. He couldn't protect her. The life of a professional criminal was not conducive to committed or honest relationships; there were two options - the blithe ignorance of his aunt, or an eventual demise as 'collateral damage'.

Neither was acceptable.

He shook his head, "I was a fool for thinking it would end with Sergi's death. I will always be looking over my shoulder for those people." He looked at Kala at last, "What kind of life is that?"

"You knew the consequences of stealing the diamonds, that didn't bother you then."

"No," Wolfgang ran a hand through his short hair, "But then Felix and I were the only ones that could be hurt." He increased the rate of his pacing, "If they ever find out about you - I am going to be fighting a war on two fronts, Kala. I cannot deal with both BPO and Bratva alone. "

Extending an arm towards him, she replied, "Then it is a good thing you are not alone."

He looked disbelievingly at her, "I can't offer you a future," he said. "Why the fuck are you still here?"

She slowly stood, and then moved so she blocked his pacing, forcing him to meet her eye. This time he let her take his hands, twine her fingers gently through his, avoiding the split skin on his knuckles. "The present will do just fine," she murmured. "None of us have a certain future."

She felt him slump a little, exhaustion washing over him, the pain in his ribs making standing increasingly painful. Gently guiding him back to bed, she had him lie down on his side to avoid aggravating the cuts on his neck, draping a blanket around his lower half. For a moment, he looked up at her, and the soft light coming from the windows made him look achingly young.

His doubt made a bitter aftertaste in her mouth; he didn't believe that they would work out. He was waiting to screw up, waiting for her to walk away, to lash out at him.

"As for the past," she whispered, settling herself beside him and gingerly wrapping her arms around him. "It is a foreign country; they do things differently there."

He was quiet for a long time, then hummed softly, "I like that, is that from something?"

"A book," she said, "I read it in one of my English Lit. electives." Very delicately, she nuzzled her face against him, just brushing her lips against his skin. She missed his physical presence already, kissing him wasn't the same when she was visiting.

"You aren't going to be coming back to Italy are you?"

"No," he turned to look at her wincing a little. "Felix and I are going back to Berlin tomorrow. We have to fix up the lock shop, deal with some legal things." He took her hand again, "I heard your plan, I think it is a good one. But you and I both know it is borderline suicidal if even the smallest thing goes wrong."

Kala didn't meet his eye; of course she was far from a criminal mastermind. And he… well, all of his plans were just as risky. Who would have known they would have that in common? "I will make sure I am free to help when Capheus lands," he promised.

"Your stuff is still here, do you want me to send it to you?"

Painfully he shook his head. "Just do whatever with it," he muttered sleepily.

Kala left him soon after that, returning to her hotel room, which now seemed a little too big without him. Capheus was still in the air; anxiety was beginning to boil in her stomach.

She had told Dr. Tambe she wouldn't be attending the conference today, pleading indigestion and jetlag. She was just thinking that she would order room service when the ringing of a phone startled her. It was the one Dr. Gallo had given her, shoved hastily in one of the pockets of her purse.

The caller was unknown. Hesitantly, Kala picked it up, "Hello?"

"Is this Kala?" asked a female voice on the phone, she had a strange accent. "I am Marie. Has Wolfgang told you about me?"

Kala gaped for a second in shock, and then recovered herself, "Yes-yes, he did and he delivered your message to Dr. Gallo, although I don't understand –"

Marie sounded pleased, "Good, I knew he was trustworthy. The message didn't mean anything, my dear, I was evening the playing field, if you know what I mean. Izzy likes to be in control, tries to make my choices for me, she forgets that makes people dislike her."

"I know what you mean," murmured Kala.

There was a shrewd silence on the other end of the line, and then Marie began briskly, "But no doubt you are wondering why I am calling."

"Did Dr. Gallo want something?"

"No, although I did have to convince her to give me this number."

"What is it then?"

There was a short pause, "Do you remember the ambulance, in Iceland?"

"Yes," replied Kala, piece finally fitting together, "Was that you?"

Marie made a self-deprecating noise, "It was more of a team effort, and Jonas was in on it."

"You see," she continued, "We are stronger united, after I lost my cluster-mates I tried to convince Izzy of this but she wouldn't listen. She started Chameleon Solutions and I started something else, a gathering of sorts, an underground support network for our kind."

A tingling jolt of hope started to spread through Kala. "But," continued Marie, "That is not why I am calling, I am calling because my sources tell me after cancelling all of his meetings for the rest of the week, Whispers just landed in Seoul."

Swiftly, Kala muffled a whimper of despair; their worst fears were confirmed. She must not have been successful, because Marie made a little tsking noise.

"So," she said at last, "he did find one of yours." She didn't give Kala time to answer. "Well then," her voice hardened, "We are just going to have to get them back."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quote is from The Go-Between by L.P Hartley. Next chapter will be up sometime around Thursday or Friday (I am writing my MCAT this Wednesday). Thank you for reading!


	17. Chapter 17

hapter 17:

There was nothing good on TV. Wolfgang supposed it was to be expected; it was just after dawn, nobody in his or her right mind was watching television at this time. It was even too early for cartoons to be on.

He was flipping through the channels, hitting the 300's, infomercials and local weather reports blurring slightly before his tired eyes, before a burst of familiar music made him pause. A procession of men and women in bright dress danced across the screen. It appeared he had found the channel that ran old Bollywood movies. His didn't know this one but Kala did, even though at the moment she was utterly distracted, pacing and scribbling away on her notepad. He knew better than to interrupt her when she got like this. At best, he would get a vague mumble and a comment unrelated to what he was trying to talk about, at worst, a glare and then a very long agitated explanation about whatever problem she was mulling over.

The over-the-top drama of the film was comforting in a way, in the same ilk as the crap home improvement shows or cooking competitions he could sometime put on for background noise when he was home or tinkering away at a safe. The poorly done German subtitles were pissing him off however, a few clicks of the remote dealt with that.

A mere three hours now separated Capheus and a private airstrip in Seoul, adrenaline was singing through all of their veins. There was no way in hell he would be able to sleep and he had given it up entirely after dozing off and vividly reliving the last job he did for Sergi, which had started as a simple break and enter and ended in a violent shootout at point blank range.

The door to Felix's room creaked open, and his friend emerged still leaning on a cane, sleepily pushing locks of hair out of his bruised and swollen face.

"Wolfie?" Felix sounded vaguely nasal, "What the fuck are you doing up?"

"Sun." he said softly, scooting over so Felix could share the couch.

"Ah," Felix replied, settling down. "Is it time?" Wolfgang had clued Felix into the situation; he had been appropriately concerned.

"Soon."

Felix nodded and then stared blankly at the TV screen, "What are they talking about?"

Wolfgang squinted at the screen for a moment, "Something about how she loves him but she is set to marry his brother."

"Classic." Felix propped up his feet on an end table. "You know," he cast a look in Wolfgang's direction, "It is really freaky that you can do that."

"Will make travelling easier."

"True, true." Felix reclined back into the couch groaning a little as he pulled at his stiches, "It would –" then suddenly he paused, "Hold on. A trip to India –" He gaped at Wolfgang. "You were totally going to go and visit your scientist girlfriend. Jesus," Felix shook his head, "That was weeks ago, when did you meet again?"

Wolfgang swallowed uncomfortably. "That was the second time we had a conversation."

Felix stared at him and then let out a triumphant cackle, "You are completely fucked. Right from the start." He shot Wolfgang a shit-eating grin, "I have to meet this woman."

Displaying his typical tact Wolfgang just ignored this. Felix continued on, undeterred, but all he could drag out of a reticent Wolfgang was that, yes, of course he thought she was hot, and that she liked science.

"Felix," said Wolfgang suddenly. "I am not anything like my father right?" Felix dropped his jocular tone, and turned sharply to look at him. Wolfgang lowered his eyes, he didn't mean to say that out loud, it was just the thought had been haunting him, buzzing in the back of his mind, but more recently brought to the forefront. "I don't have a temper like him, right?" he clarified, still staring at his socks.

"No, no, of course not." His friend sounded uncertain.

"Tell me the truth please," he murmured, finally meeting Felix's eye.

"I am," Felix dragged a hand through his hair. "You do have a bit of a temper, but nothing like your dad, and even though you are good at it, I know you don't like hurting people. And," he added a small smile spreading stiffly across his swelling face, "You are not a bad drunk, in fact I would describe you as downright cuddly, remember that time on your twenty-second birthday when you tried to spoon me?"

"No," replied Wolfgang, but he was unable to keep his lips twitching in amusement.

Felix rolled his eyes, "Don't worry, it wasn't that special."

Wolfgang let out a little huff of laughter then sobered. "You don't think I would ever...hit someone?" he ground out, trying to keep his voice even and detached.

Felix blinked at him, "This about the fight you two got in?"

He sighed, "It wasn't really a fight. It is just I am trying so hard to keep her safe, I keep forgetting that I am probably the biggest threat to her." He trained his eyes on the screen and forced away the faint memories of purple and blue bruises blossoming on his mother's arms and neck.

A hand settled on his shoulder, he turned to look at Felix, "Hey," he said, "don't think like that Wolfie."

Kala appeared beside him, still clutching a sheaf of papers, anxiously chewing her lip. She had clearly not been listening to their conversation.

"How are you feeling?" she asked Wolfgang leaning closer to examine the cuts on his face.

"I'm fine," he murmured.

"Wolfie?" Felix waved a hand between them.

Kala seemed to notice Felix. "Oh," she said sounding surprised, but not displeased. "I didn't see you." Then realizing he couldn't hear her, "Wolfgang please tell Felix that I am glad he is looking much better." She winced, "Other than the face of course."

Wolfgang sighed, "Kala is here," he told Felix. "She says that she is glad to see you looking better." Then he started to grin, "Other than your face, which hasn't improved at all."

Kala scowled at Wolfgang. "You-"

Felix squinted at Wolfgang around his black eye, "There is no way she said that." He looked around the living room. "Where is she?"

Wolfgang gestured to the area in front of them. "Here."

Felix looked a little nonplused, but then gamely waved at thin air and doffed an invisible hat, "Hello, Kala, Wolfie's imaginary lady friend."

She giggled and then settled on Wolfgang's lap, snuggling her face into his shoulder, he reflexively went to wrap his arms around her, then froze. "You are trying to make me look crazy aren't you?"

"She is doing a good job of it buddy," Felix was snickering, "You look like a horny mime."

Kala laughed again, then a look of uncharacteristic mischief crossed her face. Slowly she reached out and poked Felix's arm. Wolfgang watched transfixed as her fingers appeared to make contact with him, but...

"Did you feel that?" They asked.

"Feel what?" Felix gaped at him, "Is your girlfriend psychically touching the goods?"

Kala made a little noise of disgust and withdrew her hand quickly. Wolfgang repressed a laugh, shaking his head.

"Fascinating," she muttered to herself, forgetting all about Felix a moment later. They flashed back to Italy for a moment while she grabbed a pen, and then she settled beside Wolfgang (on the side of the couch farthest from Felix) and began scribbling away, babbling on about perceptive discontinuity and hallucinations.

They both tensed when Capheus finally landed.

Kala was vacillating wildly between terror and confidence. Her talk with Marie had settled her somewhat, the women had a competent, motherly air about her. There was no doubt it had been her mind that she had touched when she sensed warmth and baking amidst all of Dr. Gallo's icy control. But she had not been able to help them much with the actual prison break.

"Your cluster is exceptional," she had said after Kala explained the situation, "Of course everyone of us has our skills, but must are not so... military? Mm, maybe not the best way to put it, but my point is, most of us are ordinary people, with very ordinary skills, we are grocery clerks, teachers, mid-level marketing managers. Sun would be a very valuable member to our cause."

Kala could hear her drumming her fingers over the phone, "That being said we do have a soldier, a Brit, stationed at the Turkish embassy. I have alerted him, but he has very limited ability to travel." More drumming. "I think our best bet is China," she said at last. "I don't like it, because there is a BPO facility there, but we have a friend, she owns a small mail courier service in Nanjing. If you flee South Korea by boat, she can meet you in one of the port cities."

Over the course of the conversation Kala had come to admire Marie's tactical mind, concealed as it was by her friendly way of speaking. She got impression that this was not the kind of woman you should underestimate.

"I wish I could meet you," she burst out, suddenly overwhelmed by gratefulness that someone - someone at least knew what to do.

"Me too, dear," said Marie kindly, "Sometime when we are all safe from Whispers, you and all your cluster must come for a visit." She let out a little laugh; "Right now, however, Izzy would kill me if I told you where I am."

"It must be difficult," replied Kala delicately, "to share her troubles."

Marie made a dismissive noise, "We all have troubles. Although –" she added, "I do admit it does take most people some time to warm up to Izzy. I have had almost twenty years."

Kala shuddered at the memory of Dr. Gallo's mind pressing against hers, "I suppose," she said.

"I think," began Marie, "That you might understand that better than you think. Some people hide their demons, they put on a selfless exterior and repress the darkness, Izzy does that sometimes, but for the most part she is the opposite. She hides her softness, or denies it exists." He tone became shrewd, "I think you know what it is to love someone like that."

Kala didn't quite know how to reply to that, but Marie wasn't one to press the matter, she just let out a maternal hum and directed the conversation back to the issue at hand.

"Ok," said Nomi. While Amanita trilled in the background, "Operation Sunshine is a go."

"Dear god," replied Lito, but they all nervously laughed, wound up with tension.

Capheus was navigating a rented car through the thick traffic out of Seoul. Mr. Kabaka's men had stayed on the plane as per Capheus's orders, already returning to Nairobi. It was too much of a risk to let the crime boss know about Sun. The backseat was occupied by a backpack full of homemade bombs and a slew of receipts in Korean from the various drug stores he had purchased supplies from.

"They got a hold of a Dr. Loch," Nomi industriously clacked away at her keyboard, "That is one of the alias's for Whispers Marie told us. A car rented by MediCap, a front for BPO just entered a toll road, bound for the prison. But I don't know if Whispers is in it or not."

Kala nodded tensely, they had expected this. "It is going to be close," she murmured. Sun was fluttering in and out of consciousness, overcome with nausea and a terrible sleepiness. Nomi had stalled as long as possible, overloading the servers in the prison and airport, even introducing glitches in the networks used by the transit companies, slowing traffic.

"Always is," said Wolfgang purposefully cracking his knuckles. Capheus just nodded - jaw tight.

They hovered anxiously as Capheus pulled up to the back of the prison, just out of view of the guard standing by the large gate that let supply trucks in. He turned to Wolfgang, who was sitting in the front seat, exuding the presence of predatory animal, and offered him his hand.

"If anything should happen to me," he began in a deceptively firm voice, "Please look after my mother. I did not tell her where I went."

Wolfgang took his hand. "I promise," he replied, "Brother."

Capheus nodded, and then the two of them drove up to the guard, they were all female inside the prison, but this one was male. Lito rolled down a window, and in convincingly poor Korean, he called out:

"Excuse me? Could you help me I am lost," Lito waved a large map that Capheus had bought at a store, "The GPS is not working."

The sun was setting; the encroaching dark hid his face well. The guard approached suspiciously, "This is a prison, you should not be here, please leave at once."

Lito feigned an air of abashed embarrassment, "Please," I have been driving around for hours, could you at least point me back to Seoul." He got out of the car, brandishing the map, holding it in a way that concealed his face, the guard's hand jumped to his baton but he approached.

It took less than ten seconds for Wolfgang to take him out. A loud wailing noise inside the prison signaled that Nomi had activated part two of the plan.

"Lock failure on cellblock A." said Nomi triumphantly. Capheus rubbed at his sore shoulder, "I think I prefer Sun, he said donning the guard's uniform. "She never leaves me with bruises." Wolfgang only shrugged.

Shoving the guard's unconscious body in the bushes around the prison, Capheus grabbed his backpack. "Cameras are off," piped Nomi, as he swiped the guard's card and the gate swung open. "They are attempting to settle down prisoners, so far no escapes, just lots of unrest."

"Good," whispered Kala.

Capheus entered the prison from the service corridor, relying on Kala's memory of the prison layout. As per Nomi's command he stopped in one of the maintenance rooms and broke into the breaker room, tinkering with wires. The lights flickered on and off. "The infirmary is three doors to the right after the kitchen." He repeated quietly to himself.

The halls were empty; Kala had picked cellblock A because it was where most of the violent and repeat offenders were kept, far from the infirmary.

The sound of cold British voice from inside the infirmary caused them to freeze.

"Shit," swore Nomi,

"The car must have been a decoy," murmured Kala, "He knows you are watching."

"I don't care about the protocol," Whispers was saying in response to some unheard comment. "My patient is very ill, I will not leave her side until we can transfer her." Wolfgang ducked them inside a supply closet next to the infirmary. Riley appeared and began digging around on the shelves.

"How many can you take?" she asked Wolfgang.

He paused calculating. "Without a gun, four or five, depending on the level of training."

They reached out to Sun, trying to visit her, before remembering her concussion gave them an unbearable headache. She was barely conscious, hovering in some twilight region between sleep and wake. Made it difficult to get a clear fix on her. Of course, Whispers would have known about this. Kala prayed she would not open her eyes.

Riley located a large glass beaker, and knocked some dust out of the bottom. She placed the rim on the wall.

"Temperate climate," she murmured, letting out a pleased noise as she pressed her ear to the glass. "The outside walls and floor are all concrete, but the low security areas use lighter materials."

The sound of footsteps and female voices filled their ears. "Three?" guessed Riley, "Excluding Whispers?"

"How am I going to do it without looking at him?" asked Capheus.

Kala suddenly had an idea. She quickly picked up a roll of bandages. "Tie these over your eyes, then let Wolfgang guide you."

Wolfgang shot her a look of admiration, "Like Dr. Gallo," he said. "But I don't know if it will work for fighting, we might be too slow."

"Time for Plan B then," conceded Nomi. Kala winced; she hated Plan B. The wailing of sirens intensified as all the cellblocks opened. The fire alarms started going off and the room suddenly went dark.

Capheus slipped the scarf he had brought for the occasion over his mouth and wound it around the rest of his face, obscuring his identity; he hesitated for a moment then tied the bandages over his eyes. He was already wearing gloves. He opened his backpack, and pulled out the bombs.

"Throw the first one to the far left," reminded Kala, "and the second one more to the front of the room, that gives you the best chance of missing the beds unless they moved her."

"I will look as best I can," Wolfgang laid a hand on Capheus's shoulder. He nodded and lit the bombs. The hall was, as Kala hoped, teaming with people: prisoners and guards alike, nurses and kitchen staff milling around confusedly, half trying to execute the fire protocol, the other half trying to maintain lockdown. Violence had already started to breakout.

Capheus slipped into the crowd; the infirmary was only a few steps away. He took a deep breath and walked through the door, trailing his fingers along the wall for reference.

They looked long enough to see Sun on the left, rows of empty beds, guards and nurses, and a tall white haired man leaning over her before Wolfgang whispered, "Turn two steps to the right and throw as hard as you can."

There was a violently bright flash and tremendously loud bang, then Capheus threw the second bomb, the force of this one knocking him off his feet for a moment. The guards and nurses were down, the aerosols that Kala had included in the bomb should make them woozy and weak.

Whispers turned, looking for a moment like he would try and fight.

"Stand up," ordered Wolfgang, "Roll your shoulders and turn two steps to the left."

Capheus obeyed without question. "Raise your fists, get ready to fight." Wolfgang's jaw was tightly clenched, but his body was loose, ready to move, Capheus had unconsciously assumed the same posture.

Whispers, looked for a moment like he might try and fight, but then he cast a dispirited look at Sun's body. He grabbed a piece of debris from the ground and raised it above Sun's head.

Capheus and Wolfgang howled with rage as they tried to rush to her side, tripping and groping wildly. Whispers brought it down with clinical precision on her head, and then fled for one of the infirmary exits, avoiding Capheus's milling arms.

Sun laid still, they almost didn't dare feel for a pulse. Wolfgang, even his staunch pragmatism shaken, reached out with his mind. For a heart stopping moment they felt nothing.

Then a flicker, faint, like a candle light across a vast dark body of water.

A whimper of relief escaped Kala. That hit could have killed her. "We need to avoid jarring her as much as possible," she realized. Nomi nodded, scrambling to remember any information from the first aid course she took a few years ago. "We will have to stabilize her neck and then roll her out of here."

Capheus removed the bandages from his eyes, and got to work. Kala chewed her lip as Wolfgang kept guard by the door. They needed to get Sun to a hospital, there was no way they would be able to treat her if something went wrong.

With trembling fingers she picked up the cell phone Dr. Gallo gave her. After three rings, a crisp voice answered.

"Yes?"

*** *** *** 

Minutes later, Capheus wheeled a heavily fortified gurney out of the infirmary. Most of the prisoners had been contained, but no one in the dark, chaotic and smoke filed hallway stopped a figure in a guard's uniform rolling an unconscious patient. They drove out of the prison to the wail of sirens, Sun flat in the backseat, and Capheus driving as smoothly as possible.

Kala only let out a shaky sigh of relief hours later, once they were on a little boat that Marie had hired, a wrinkled old fisherman, with a wind-beaten face. A stone-faced Korean woman had been waiting for them, offering Capheus a bow and a business card. She was Dr. Su of Chameleon Solutions.

Sun was still unconscious, and Dr. Su had clicked her tongue, despairingly at her state. She was with her now, below decks, incongruous with the rough fishing boat interior.

"She is in bad condition," said Dr. Su, "That was a hard hit to the head. I suspect a possible skull fracture, and she will likely be concussed quite badly for a couple of weeks, then slowly improve over the course of a few months. Her coordination will be off and she will be very unfocused and tired. That is-" she added, looking at Capheus's concerned face. "if she wakes up at all."

Then with admirable briskness, she set to converting the small cabin into a suitable ward. The fisherman watched with incredulous eyes, but with another few bills from Capheus he, returned to the wheel and the boat pulled slowly away from harbor.

Lito sucked in a breath and leaned over her. "Whispers must have thought he killed her."

Shaking her head, Kala disagreed, "He is a brain surgeon. I think that if he intended to kill her he would have. Dr. Gallo thinks he is... adverse to killing us."

Her conversation with the professor had been exactly as unpleasant as she thought it would be, but in the end, she had grudgingly leant her the expertise of one of her colleagues on the express condition they never pull this kind of idiotic move again.

Wolfgang didn't say anything, he just furrowed his brow, and began to pace. "I didn't expect him to run like that." The crease in his forehead deepened, "I don't like it."

"It is possible he underestimated our abilities and connections," pointed out Capheus, "Marie said most of the other clusters have been less able to fight."

Nomi shook her head, "No, I don't think that is it. Jonas could fend for himself pretty well." She sighed, "I think these are just his opening moves. He wants us to reveal ourselves so he can find us all. He knows we can't keep Will unconscious forever."

That thought hung in the air ominously.

"I think," Kala said at last, "We should try waking Will up using the drug. He knew about Sun, and tried to warn us, it is possible he has been communicating with Whispers."

Nerves and paranoia began to flit throughout the cluster, but in the end Riley nodded. "Let's do it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter on Sunday! Thank you for reading, let me know what you think.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18:

Kala rested her throbbing head against the cockpit window, and watched the clouds pass slowly below her. She had decided to leave Florence early, cancelling her original flight, her sense of adventure quite quenched by the events of the last few hours.

Guilt was slowly filling her; the prison break had resulted in three dead convicts and multiple injuries. Sometime during the flight, Capheus appeared beside her and took her hand without saying anything. He understood. Wolfgang was keeping a careful distance.

They had woken Will up once for only a few hours before Kala left Italy. Riley had finally told Julia about the nature of their connection, to Julia's incredulous disbelief, and then amazement, when Wolfgang and Nomi appeared and spoke through her.

They all hovered as she injected Will with a small quantity of the blocking drug, just as he was starting to come around. On Nomi's suggestion they had taken the precaution of closing all the windows and hiding all evidence of where they might be. Julia quickly left the room after that, shutting the door. It was important that Whispers didn't know who she was.

"Will," murmured Riley softly, stroking his cheek, "Wake up." Her voice was deceptively calm, but she broke down in tears when his eyes fluttered open. The connection trembled with the intensity of Riley's emotion, but of course there was no answer from Will.

"Whispers knows where Sun is!" he gasped, "He is going to Seoul!"

They hastened to reassure him. "How did he know?" asked Wolfgang getting straight to the point, speaking through Riley, once Will had calmed down and realized he wasn't connected to them.

"She told us," he replied. "When we helped Nomi get away from him in San Francisco." Will shuddered, "I tried not to tell him anything, but he wouldn't leave me alone, anytime I got close to waking up he would be there, fucking with my thoughts."

Wolfgang's brow creased in thought, "What else does he know?" Riley repeated his words.

"All of our first names, he knows you are German and that Kala is somewhere in India." Wolfgang's right hand clenched into an unconscious fist. "He knows the least about Lito and the most about Nomi."

"What about my family?" asked Kala, "Do you think he would go after them?"

"No," Will shook his head weakly, once Riley finished speaking. "He doesn't know where in India, and I am guessing there are many people named Kala there."

Kala nodded, looking relieved.

"He isn't too concerned about you either." Will coughed and Riley brought him some water; his arms were too weak to lift the bottle. "He is obsessed with Sun, for obvious reasons." Will closed his eyes tiredly for a moment "He also wants you, Wolfgang, your little trick with the helicopter intrigued him."

Wolfgang nodded absently then froze. "If he knows I am German, because you saw the Holocaust memorial, that means that he also knows I am in Berlin." Riley tensely twisted her fingers together and relayed this.

"Shit," swore Will. "You need to get out of there."

"I'm tracking him," promised Nomi, "The list of alias's Marie gave me should ensure I don't miss him. But it might be a good idea to leave Berlin."

Gritting his teeth, Wolfgang shook his head. "I would have had him in Seoul, if I could be sure we could fight blind."

"Is there anything else you can tell us about Whispers?" asked Riley softly stroking a hand through Will's hair.

Will sighed, "He reminds me of some of the gang-bosses I used to deal with, ice cold, but I don't think he knows how to fight, he relies on knowledge to win things."

Wolfgang nodded to himself; that would confirm his hunch. Whispers would have had the advantage if he had tried to fight Capheus. That he ran after Wolfgang physically threatened him was telling.

Fuck, he did not want to move again. Felix was still healing, they had a veritable squadron of doctors and specialists looking after him, all with wait-times and limited office hours.

After a moment's debate, he made up his mind. "Riley," he began quietly, "I need you to tell Will that I am staying in Berlin, in a way that he will believe you." She was getting better at deception, she nodded and then turned to Will, leaning down to kiss his hollowed cheek.

"Don't worry," she whispered in Will's ear, "Wolfgang says that he is staying put, but he appreciates the warning."

He could feel her disgust at having to lie to him, that in some way the purity of their connection had been tainted. Will Gorski, good cop extraordinaire was someone to fear, and someone they couldn't trust with all the information. He left them after that, figuring they would want some alone time.

*** *** ***

The loud laughter from Felix and their friends lounging on Felix's ridiculous collection of secondhand sofas was at once both familiar and grating. Neither one of them was smoking nor was Felix allowed to drink, so the idea of going to a club was about as appealing as a pair of dirty gym socks. Consequently, the party had moved to his place, if one could call a spirited game of euchre a party. Felix had a vital appointment to get some of his stitches removed and then they would be relocating to Amsterdam, he didn't like it but it seemed the wisest course of action.

Wolfgang nodded at the group as he slipped past them, towel over his shoulder, sweaty from his run. Maybe Kala would visit him, later when he was sprawled on Felix's couch, not quite willing to leave him alone. He had become acquainted with her nighttime habits over the past few days, the order in which she would wash her face clean of its make-up, and brush her teeth working meticulously from left to right. How she would always un-tuck the corners of her top sheet before settling in, laying her head on the hollow in his shoulder, flicking absently through her phone, occasionally reading things she found interesting out loud, before nodding off.

It felt like a blessing to be so effortlessly included in her daily rituals. That thought was always followed by the realization that he was likely going insane. How the hell had he gone from hook ups to memorizing the way she brushed her teeth so damn fast?

He could feel her amusement when he thought like that, or when he would suddenly clam up halfway through telling her about the funny couple he saw at the grocery store, or the fact that Felix was making him read all of the Batman comics starting with his super limited edition copies from the sixties. He would suddenly feel awkward and he supposed, that if this were a normal relationship (whatever the fuck that was), she would think he was hiding something.

Instead Kala would just smile, unconsciously adopting a studious air, and ask a question about whatever he had been saying. Prodding him with varied success into continuing.

The connection flowed easier and easier between them blurring their perspectives; sometimes his subconscious seeking her out before he was even aware. Since they had been parted he was keeping track of their visits. The best morning was the one where he woke in her bed, pressed against her warm skin. The worst when they were both under-slept, dogged by his nightmares or her incessant researching and grumpily avoided each other's thoughts. The most disturbing, when he woke up as her, suddenly feeling somewhat shrunken and misshapen, with way too much hair, blinking in absolute disorientation. Kala had huffed in disapproval when a few well-placed touches of his fingers confirmed exactly what he had suspected.

Three days since Sun's rescue had passed. Three days, and the noose that Whispers had set about their necks still felt tight. Sun woke up shortly after they landed in Qingdao. Her presence was blurry, exhausted and indistinct, but she was most definitely alive. Nomi was lamenting the snails pace of the shipping vessel, but Capheus was radiant. After recovering from a bout of seasickness and confusion over the abrupt change in diet, he spent every possible moment perched at the prow of the boat, exclaiming over sea birds and the taste of the salt spray. Kala had joined him, while Lito kept watch on Sun, below decks.

True to her word, Marie's contact came through. She was a plump woman, sensate, and middle aged, with a careworn face and an impeccably clean delivery van filled with flowers. Dr. Su had merely nodded primly at her and passed a list of neatly written instructions to Capheus, before fading into the night. Marie's friend was, predictably, much warmer, and she had greeted Capheus with a bright smile, anxiously overseeing Sun's move from the boat into the back of the van (a cot artfully disguised behind several massive floral arrangements) and chattering enthusiastically in Mandarin once she and Capheus had made eye contact. Capheus inspected the undercarriage of the van with the eye of true connoisseur.

They kept a watch on Whispers, but he seemed to have returned to Chicago, Kala worried over what he was doing there. But in the meantime she rejoiced in Sun's small improvements, the deep and healing sleep she had slipped into once the drug wore off, although Capheus was sure to wake her every few hours.

 

Nomi was making a migration of her own, caught in the weird gothic dream of the American freeway, they planned to cross the Mexican border, but needed airtight aliases and ID's to do so.

Last time Kala had visited her she was perched on a drab coverlet in some hotel room in some place called Sacanton, holed up in her hotel room with Amanita while Bug bartered with one of their more criminal contacts. Unlike Capheus, they were having trouble staying positive.

"I just can't believe it," Nomi had confided one night peaking out the window her room, careful to keep out of sight. "I always thought I would be on the run because I was a hacker, not because I am some sort of meta-human."

Kala acutely felt her homesickness, her fear that she might not be able to return to the vibrant streets of San Francisco, as if a small part of her identity had been carved away. In that moment, even though she did not think it possible, she hated Whispers even more.

They all had their coping methods. She and Nomi had the same strategy: knowledge is power. So while Nomi obsessively scoured the web for any and all things about Whispers and BPO, Kala dived into articles about drug resistance. Somewhere in the back of her head, where the worst parts of her nightmares lived, she knew that Wolfgang was the least safe of all of them. Dr. Gallo had given her the means to replicate the drug, and she would as soon as she got back to Mumbai, but there as yet was no solution to his resistance, if a confrontation with Whispers occurred, he would have no safety net. He had just shrugged at that, pragmatic as only he could be about his death.

"Then you shoot me," if he felt any fear at that prospect, he hid it well from Kala, "Don't let me become a fucking vegetable."

She didn't press it; if knowledge was her last defense, indifference was his. They both knew, with aching vulnerability, that to lose the other was unthinkable.

Luckily Wolfgang was the reigning champion in stoicism, and they were both too busy to mope. In the two days since she returned, her life had been filled with a flurry of emails and relatives, lab work and more lab work.

Her parents had accepted her excuse that she missed home, but Daya was more observant. She had not told any of them that she was with Wolfgang. In the long term she knew, if he were ever to meet them, the knowledge that they had met in private beforehand would not endear him to them.

But she had never been good at hiding things, and sure enough on day two, Daya found out. She had been lounging on her bed, catching up on paperwork while Daya searched her room for a missing hair clip, when a sudden silence made her look up.

Daya was holding a long slender box, "What is this?"

Kala swallowed uncomfortably, "It is an IUD, used for contraception." She had capitalized on remaining time left on her 'vacation' and scheduled an appointment earlier that morning to get it inserted, an uncomfortable, but brief affair. Wolfgang had appeared briefly, looking perplexed and more that a little concerned when he felt the hot flash of pain from her, then backed away as Kala attempted to maintain a straight face in front of the nurses. They had talked about this, but she knew that he had forgotten in the stress of moving back to Berlin.

"I know what it is for," replied Daya, she settled on the bed next to Kala, looking at her eagerly, "I want details."

In all, it went much better than she had expected, after swearing her to secrecy, Kala hesitantly gave a few vague details about her trip to Italy. It was a relief, she realized to talk to Daya about him. Reminded her of simpler times when Daya would slip into her room with snacks from the kitchen and tell her about the cute boy in her maths class.

"I thought you were crazy," admitted Daya, leaning into Kala's shoulder, peeking at the picture Kala had snuck of him. It was from the first day they spent together, he was leaning against a stone railing, the Ponte Vecchio gleaming behind him; she had caught him in profile, laughing and looking across the water. Nomi had shook her head over this breech in cyber security, but remained silent. "He is cute," she conceded. "But, um, you know. White."

Kala chewed her lip, "Do you think mother and father will approve?"

Daya shrugged, "Maybe if they meet him, and you can, you know, conclusively prove that he is real." She took the phone and started swiping through the rest of Kala's photos. "They still think you were hallucinating when you saw that 'foreign man' at your wedding."

"I will invite him here, when it is safe" Kala promised. Daya had not experienced danger like the one her cluster currently faced, it was somewhat of an abstract concept for her. Kala avoided the details; it would only cause her to worry. As long as Daya kept her secret all would be well.

It was softly raining outside, the sounds of traffic a familiar lullaby to Kala's ears as she and Daya settled back on her bed, her sister pulling her customary trick of stealing the fluffiest pillow and most of the legroom. Contentment spread through Kala, and for a moment she felt like everything was back to normal. Like the person she used to be had not been twisted and morphed into this strange being, like she was just Kala, scientist, sister, lover of musicals and all things yellow.

Daya fiddled with her phone, chewing on her lip. "What was it like to have sex?" she asked at last, blushing a little. "Was it very painful? I heard it hurts. That's what Ila's big sister said after her first time."

"No," replied Kala, feeling uncomfortable, but suddenly very protective. "No, I have heard that as well. I don't think that is how it should be, but it is like that for lots of people."

She felt a surge of gratefulness towards Nomi, who had, during the course of that mortifying plane ride sexual education class, taken her hands and very firmly set her straight on the concept of virginity.

"There is this totally fucked up paradigm," she had said. "Between the sexual experience of a man and that of a woman. For a woman, we fear pain, bleeding, being used up, being loose, being dirty. Our virginity and discomfort is fetishized. That doesn't exist for men."

It suddenly felt very important to explain this to Daya. "The right partner," she said finally, "Should be one that you can talk to, one that you trust enough to listen to you and to respect your needs, to be gentle so that you are not scared, and accepting of your body and theirs."

Her sister blinked at her, a little off guard, "And your Wolfgang –" she struggled a little with the strange syllables of his name, "- he was like that with you?"

"He was," a little flood of warmth spread through Kala, "He talked to me so that I wasn't scared, and was mature enough to make sure we were safe, and when it came time, he uh, let me be on top."

Daya giggled as Kala's cheeks flushed. "That helped?"

She nodded, "So I could go as slowly as I needed."

Silence fell as Daya mulled that over. Then:

"Do you think I could be a scientist like you?" inquired Daya, reclining against Kala's bedframe.

Kala looked up a little startled, "You hate science."

"Father keeps talking like he wants me to take over the restaurant," Daya wrinkled her nose, "I don't like cooking. It would be so cool to travel like you, and meet boys that aren't obsessed with football and cricket." Daya added, smirking a little before sighing, "I don't want to be stuck here forever."

"Well you don't have to be a scientist to travel, what else interests you?"

"Politics," decided Daya, "Or maybe journalism, or maybe acting." She smiled dreamily at the ceiling, "Could you imagine me as an actress like Parineeti Chopra?"

"Yes," said Kala honestly. "I think you could do whatever you put your mind to."

A thought occurred to her.

"You know," whispered Kala, "I have a friend who is an actor, maybe one day you can meet him too."

Daya's eyes lit up with curiosity, and Kala braced herself for a fresh volley of questions, when the sound of her mother's voice interrupted.

An irritated expression spread across Daya's face, but she obligingly hopped off of Kala's bed and headed downstairs, muttering mutinously about washing dishes.

Lito settled into her recently vacated spot. Kala smiled at him as he scratched his chin, he was in need of a good trim.

"She does have potential," he decided, "But," and his voice suddenly became heavy with an almost incalculable despair, "I do not think that I would be of any help."

Kala took his hand and squeezed it. Lito's career had been forced to take the sidelines in the unfolding drama surrounding Sun, but she knew things had not gotten any better for him.

Back in his apartment she found herself curled up in a nest of blankets and empty ice cream containers. Kala made a little noise of disgust at the sticky feeling of the latter as she sat next to Lito.

"How long have you been doing this?"

With a deep sigh that shook his whole, still impressively lean frame; Lito tipped his head back to stare at the ceiling. "Don't lecture me, Hernando already has. The ice cream started four days ago, before that it was tequila and then before that it was running –" he fixed Kala with a baleful glare, "You can blame your fucking boyfriend for that and his little Swiss health kick."

"Exercise is a very healthy way to deal with stress," recited Kala, she comfortingly patted Lito's shoulder. "And smoking is very bad for you."

Lito uncharacteristically didn't have anything to say in reply, he just let out another concerning sigh. Kala dug around for a polite way to say what she was thinking. Just move on? No, that would seem to trivialize his struggles. Fight back? No, that was the kind of thing Wolfgang would say. Don't let them get you down?

"You are giving me a headache." A very groggy looking Sun dragged them both into the tiny room she was currently sharing with Capheus. All three winced at the throbbing migraine and nausea she was experiencing, but Sun flatly glared at Lito. "Stop it."

Lito blinked in momentary befuddlement and pleasure that she was finally speaking, then recovered himself. "Look it is not that easy." Sun closed her eyes dismissively, causing him to flush with anger, "I have just have had my entire life ripped apart, you wouldn't understand –"

One eye opened and fixed him with an unimpressed if unfocused stare, Lito started backpedalling, "I just mean that there is literally nothing I can do, no one will hire me! I can't even leave my fucking house because the paps have been camped outside my home for three weeks!"

"So, tell them to go away."

Lito sputtered.

Sun raised a shaking and uncoordinated hand over her eyes to shade them from the light; Kal coming to herself, directed Capheus to shut the blinds against the encroaching dawn. "It is not going to get better, you have had your time to mourn what was, now go do something."

"Go do something?!" A flush was starting to spread across Lito's chest, "You want me to go and do something? Fine!" and with that he started to storm towards his apartment door.

Hernando poked out an inquiring head from the kitchen, "Lito? Where are you going?"

Lito didn't answer, he just threw open the deadbolt and stalked out the door. "Darling?" Hernando called, to no avail, "Lito, you are not wearing any pants!"

Kala gaped after him. Sun appeared to have passed out again. Nomi came up beside her and silently the two of them walked hand in hand after Lito.

Some people just had that indefinable flair for the dramatic, realized Kala, as they joined Lito in the lobby; as he flung open the glass doors, and stood silhouetted in the evening light. He was wearing nothing but a tank top and very small pair of briefs, but some how he still had poise. The light reflecting off the tiles made the strong features of his face even more defined and masculine.

Flashbulbs went off in a silent fury, violent and disorienting, but Lito did not flinch. This was what he was made for. A monsoon of staccato Spanish washed over them, but he raised his voice firmly.

"I am what I am," Lito stated cutting across the din, "And I am no longer ashamed of it. The only regret I had was that I felt the need to hide in the first place. But I will no longer be a coward." He stood even straighter, and in that moment even the incessant honking of horns and the roar of distant motorcycles seemed to fall silent.

"I will not be intimidated anymore, and I will not alway anyone to try and hurt the ones I love."

With that pronouncement he turned, pausing just before opening the lobby doors, taking advantage of the rather shocked silence, "And get the fuck off of my doorstep."

Behind him a crowd was amassing, all shouting incomprehensibly, but they seemed distant, irrelevant. The lobby was filled with another noise, one only he could hear, the applause of six hands. Wolfgang had even cracked into a rare grin, and Sun was wincing at the noise but looking faintly satisfied. Lito took a little bow, and smiled at Nomi, who seemed to be wiping tears from her eyes. The rest of the cluster slowly departed to give them more space.

Wolfgang was sitting on the railing of a balcony somewhere in Berlin. He had a thread, picked from his shirt in one hand that he had been restlessly twisting around his thumb. Nicotine withdrawal combined with Sun's concussion was giving him a brutal headache and a churning stomach. Luckily (or unluckily depending on how you looked at it) he had received many concussions in his childhood; he knew what to expect.

He was beginning to understand how being a sensate could be an evolutionary disadvantage. The skills, the ability to be in two places at once were ideal, but the emotion, the intimacy of the link; that could be a serious liability.

If there were some way to have one without the other... like a brick wall the thought hit him, of course there was. That was what Whispers was doing. An almost violent wave of self-disgust spread through him, of course he would think like that bastard. Monster, meet monster.

The calmly rational part of him, reminded him that this could be useful, brushing aside the disgust with a firm touch that reminded him of Kala. Blankly, he stared at the graffiti, lurid on the wall opposite him. The crowd below his feet swarmed and milled going about their daily business. A couple, the man on his phone, ran into each other, the woman hauling bags of groceries on her shoulder. A series of well-chosen curse words drifted up to him.

He and Kala never collided like that, even if neither of them were paying attention, they just knew, instinctively where each other's bodies were, like two night birds, like a herd of some kind, or a school of fish. The last comparison brought to mind Will and Jonas. Seemed about right, he thought, what chances did a school of fish have against a predator like Whispers?

Capheus appeared beside him, peering curiously at the street below, "The fish just make a hole." He settled next of Wolfgang, "Whose balcony is this?"

Wolfgang shrugged. He and Felix had been coming here for years, someone likely owned the place, but it was currently empty, and had a very convenient fire escape.

"That is no way to live," replied Wolfgang, answering Capheus at last. "Fleeing, waiting and watching him pick us off one by one."

"We have each other." Capheus smiled, as Wolfgang gave a dismissive snort. "No I really think that is our advantage, Whispers might have many lobotomized sensates, but he only has one mind, that limits his solutions."

"That is a good point," admitted Wolfgang, "But, I am more worried about his funding, the control he has over various authorities." He started cracking his knuckles, a habit that had gotten worse since he stopped smoking, "I hate being on the defensive, but I don't see what we can do about it."

They sat dangling their legs over the edge of the balcony, Capheus was thinking of his mother. Mr. Kabaka and Jela had assured him that they would look out for her, while he stayed with Sun indefinitely in China.

"Will you teach me how to fight?" asked Capheus finally, looking over at Wolfgang a little shyly.

Wolfgang thought about it and then hopped off the railing, easily cracking the lock on the patio door and sliding in to the empty apartment; inside there was no furniture and lots of open floor space.

"Sure," he said, indicating that Capheus should follow. Barely contained excitement zinged across the connection.

Wolfgang paused, a moment of humour seizing him. "You know those eighties training montages, with the inspiring music and shit?"

Capheus nodded enthusiastically.

"This will be nothing like that." And he ushered him into the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter on Wednesday!


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19:

When Wolfgang woke up every muscle in his body was aching. Well, not his body technically, Capheus's. Damn, the connection took all the fun out of training someone else.

It had to be early afternoon and he was sprawled uncomfortably on Felix's couch. They would be catching a train to Amsterdam later that evening. He had set up a private care service for when they arrived; Felix was really cutting into the profits they had made from the diamonds, but he wasn't about to complain.

A tingling sensation was spreading from his navel to his fingertips. Wolfgang repressed a groan. Sometime while he had been sleeping Nomi and Amanita had successfully crossed the US-Mexico border with their scrawny friend and now they were celebrating in the way they knew best. A few select images of Kala swam into his mind unbidden.

He was standing beside her in the lunchroom of Rasal Pharmaceuticals before he could stop himself, leaning against a pillar. She hadn't noticed him yet, she and one of her friends were chattering away happily. The unreality of the situation hit him with renewed force.

While he waited for her to notice him, he thought back to the moment in his car, just before he killed his uncle. God - that had only been a few weeks ago.

He supposed some part of him had known, even then, dragging the rest of him into her arms. Where the feeling of her fingers gently tracing his jaw was already better than anything he had ever felt. He couldn't help the prickle of heat that ran down his spine at that memory, the feeling of her tears on his face, how pulling away felt like fighting against a hurricane.

Sitting at the crowded table several feet away, Kala blushed faintly, acknowledging his presence with the barest flicker of her long eyelashes. Several moments later, she excused herself from the table, gathering up her lunch bag. Wolfgang followed her back to her office, cursing the abundance of windows.

But even that became irrelevant as the office door closed behind them and he had her sighing against his mouth. And, just as before, he was consumed. The sensations from Nomi were singing through them, and he buried his face in her hair, silly words escaping his mouth. Words like 'I miss you' and 'I want you more than anything'. He had about ten seconds of this bliss until Kala remembered where they were and pushed him away, straightening her hair and skirt.

"People are going to think I am crazy!" she whispered fiercely at Wolfgang, "We shouldn't do such things while I am at work. It isn't proper."

He couldn't help smiling a little at that: his Kala and her properness. Adopting an air of chagrin, he leaned against her lab bench and gestured that she should sit. Kala looked at him suspiciously, no doubt able to sense the mischief playing about the corners of his mind, then settled into the chair.

They sat in silence for a moment, then as he know she would, Kala began talking. Little snippets of news escaped her, the lives of the cluster winding into the stories she told of her friends: Devi got a new dress, she visited Sun who was still sleeping too much – weak and disoriented, her project at work was going well, Capheus saw wanted posters for Sun, but his involvement had not been discovered, Daya spilt all their milk on the floor trying to feed some alley cats. Wolfgang snuck closer during this outpouring, eventually, he was leaning into the back of her chair, rubbing circles inbetween her shoulder blades.

Her body was radiating heat, and despite her unaffected tone he could see the quick rise and fall of her chest. How were Nomi and Amanita still at it?

A shaky little sigh from Kala echoed his sentiment. He leaned down to nuzzle her neck, and this time she just closed her eyes and leaned into him. The hall on the other side of her office windows was still mostly empty.

Slender fingers were sliding into his hair, their pulses rising in unison. Without a second thought Wolfgang dropped to his knees before her, Kala bit her lip to stifle a little gasp of surprise.

Goosebumps rose on her skin where he kissed it, the scent of her perfume faint like a half remembered dream. He paused at the hem of her skirt and met her eye, clearly asking for consent.

She nodded, hesitating for only a moment, lip still caught between her teeth. A wave of excitement and arousal from her washed over them as she peaked out the windows to see if anyone was watching.

Interesting.

Tipping back on his heels, Wolfgang considered the logistics for a moment, while her impatience thundered through him.

"Move forward a bit," he murmured at last, surprised at the hoarseness of his voice. "And turn on your computer screen so it looks like you are reading."

She nodded and shakily did as he said.

Heat flooded him as he settled between her legs, making him realize he had been cold, out of place, ever since he had returned to Berlin. That made sense, in a way; his sense of home had been divided since he met her.

Kala's fingers laced impatiently around the back of his head, Wolfgang felt her wiggling her hips to rest at the very edge of the seat.

"Hands off," he whispered, and gently moved her arms so that she was gripping the edges of the desk. If he knew anything, it was how to be inconspicuous. With that thought he fully devoted his attention to the task at hand.

Very distantly, he felt Nomi hum with approval.

*** *** ***

Sometime later, Kala was still seated in her office, feeling somewhat boneless. Bemusement and embarrassment warred in her mind. So, that had just happened.

"Your passion for science astounds me."

Kala let out an undignified yelp and nearly fell off her chair. Lito was perched smugly on her lab bench counter.

"Can I help you?" she attempted to compose herself, smoothing her skirt.

"No, no," Lito grinned, "Just thought I would come by to tell you the good news, but if you are too busy –"

A glare from Kala ended that sentence. She could sense Wolfgang's amusement from Berlin, where he was just getting out of the shower, toweling off his hair, which was now adorably disheveled.

Lito snickered and settled more comfortably on the bench. Kala had to bite back the instinctive reprimand that rose to her lips. It wasn't like he was actually there, so he couldn't knock over the glass bottles of assorted chemicals. Also, serve him right if he got chemical stains all over his fancy designer jeans.

She corralled her disorderly thoughts with mixed success, "Good news?"

Lito nodded brightly, allowing her to change the subject. "Very."

Kala gestured for him to continue.

"I got a job offer!" he burst out, smiling brilliantly. "A new indie studio, it wants me to play the lead in this arthouse thriller. They think I am good a representative for the younger generation."

Kala beamed at him, irritation forgotten. "That is amazing! When do you start?"

"Next week," Lito ran a hand through his hair. "So, I was thinking, I could meet Nomi since the shooting is in Acapulco. It is touristy there so she wouldn't stand out."

"Good idea," replied Wolfgang, who was brushing his teeth in front of tiny bathroom mirror in Felix's apartment, wearing nothing but a towel. "I will look up types of transportation in case you have to make a quick escape."

"Is it good that we are all meeting up?" worried Kala, "I can't decide if it is to our advantage to be as spread out as possible or not."

"I don't know," Lito shrugged. "I think as long as we keep moving it should be alright."

Wolfgang made a noise of disgust, and spat out his toothpaste. "It is not a long term solution, we have been lucky with Whispers so far, but we can't keep Will unconscious forever. And we will need money eventually, and for that we have to hold down jobs... or steal." He added as an afterthought.

"I agree with Wolfgang," said Riley appearing beside them in Felix's now very crowded bathroom. "We need to do something."

Lito shook his head incredulously, "You can't be thinking a full on attack." (They all knew that was exactly what Wolfgang was thinking.)

Capheus joined in, "Sun is in no condition to fight, Dr. Su said she might never be, not at the same level at least. That only leaves you, Wolfgang. Not good odds."

"I agree," added Nomi, who appeared in the bathtub, making a noise of surprise at the wetness of the tiles on her back. "Whispers has a strong network, international support, multiple facilities and the guise of legality. If we attacked, at best we would be seen as a terror group and at worst we would all be killed."

Wolfgang shook his head, but even he could not argue against that logic. Kala opened her mouth to say something, but was abruptly pulled back to her lab.

"Dr. Dandakar?" Rajan's secretary poked her head into the office. "Dr. Rasal wants to see you."

Unease spread through Kala, though she endeavored to tamp it down as she followed the secretary down the clean, white, halls of her department and into an elevator. She was momentarily surprised when they got off on the top floor, but then she remembered Rajan had taken over the company while his father recuperated. Guilt filled her, she had been so distracted by Wolfgang and the cluster she had forgotten all about Rajan and his father.

The spacious office was much the same as it had been; however, Kala noticed the addition of a few paintings and a steaming pot of tea. Rajan was sitting behind the desk, looking uncharacteristically grim.

As she approached she saw what was on the computer screen; security camera footage and a list of lab equipment access record.

Kala's heart sank.

*** *** ***

The familiar scent of tamarind and chili peppers, coming from the backdoor of her father's restaurant, made her throat ache with unshed tears. Her bag felt empty without its usual pile of papers from work and her employee card. God, what was she going to tell them?

The look of betrayal on Rajan's face had already been awful enough. He had not been interested in her stuttered excuses, not that they were any good. For a moment she considered trying to tell him what she was, but she realized it wouldn't have mattered anyways.

"It is my third day as President," said Rajan agitatedly, "And this new computer genius from IT brings me this, proof that my ex-fiancée is stealing from me."

"I was just borrowing the equipment, " protested Kala, but she knew the consequences of using analysis hardware without permission. There had been a rash of break-ins early in the company's history, people using the machines to make street drugs.

Rajan sighed, "Kala, I know you, I think. You wouldn't do this unless you had a good reason."

"I do," murmured Kala, trying to meet his eye and failing. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you. But it was to help a very sick friend."

Rajan sighed again, and scrubbed his beard with his hands. "Well, clearly this person was not a good friend to ask this of you. Kala, I do not want to fire you, but I have to set an example." He looked away from her, "If I do not punish you, then the rest of the employees will think I am weak or showing favoritism."

Kala nodded, lowering her head to hide the tears welling in her eyes, "I understand, sir. I will get my things."

Rajan looked for a moment like he wanted to reach out to her, but he nodded curtly instead.

Kala fled the room, face flushed with shame.

If that was bad, coming home would be even worse; the image of her parent's shocked faces swam before her. She had never let them down like this before. Wolfgang's concern at the despair that was weighing down her every step hovered in her periphery. He was reclined in a hard waiting room chair, Felix's empty wheelchair beside him. Kala shoved him away. She couldn't bear anyone else's thoughts right now.

A rush of humid heat from the kitchens greeted her as opened the backdoor, her father was standing at a stove, in his customary stained apron, frying something delicious smelling.

"Kala," he smiled brightly, "You are back early today, everything ok?"

She winced; this was going to be so much more difficult than she thought. "No." She spat out finally, voice wavering, she had to blink away the tears that were obscuring her vision.

Gentle hands guided her into a seat at the back of the kitchen. "Kala, what is wrong? Her father crouched beside her, "Did someone hurt you?"

"No," she forced out, voice wavering, "I am so sorry, papa, I have failed you."

It seemed like hours later when she was sitting before both of her parents, head aching from crying, that the true consequences of her actions had fully set in. Her mother was tight lipped in disappointment again. Daya had returned from school, and was now slumped in a seat opposite Kala. But it was her father's expression of shock and gentle sadness that cut her the most.

"I don't understand," he mother repeated, "Why would you sacrifice so much for a person you have never met, except in visions?" her expression was one of extreme concern. "Are you sure these visions are from Ganesha?"

She turned to Kala's father; "Perhaps we should take Kala to a doctor?"

"No," said Kala forcefully, "Please, no doctors."

The look of concern and fear on her parents face intensified, Daya who was usually her ally remained silent.

"What are you going to do?" Asked her mother at last.

"She can work in the restaurant with me," suggested her father.

"No," repeated Kala, "I will find another job, a better paying one."

"Where?" asked her mother, "Rajan will not give you a favorable reference anymore."

An overwhelming feeling of being trapped loomed over Kala, "I don't know," she murmured. "I don't know." And looking over at her parents, she suddenly realized they didn't trust her anymore. Possibly, they didn't even think she was capable of making her own choices.

"Kala, you look so pale, please let us take you to see a doctor," she mother reached out to her but Kala pulled away, breathing hard.

"No," she stumbled back; of course they thought she was crazy. "I am so sorry, I need air, I need to get out of here," with that she fled upstairs to her room.

Her suitcase was still mostly packed from Italy; she threw some more clothes into it and zipped it with shaking fingers. Her pulse was thundering in her ears. There was nothing for her here now; no company in Mumbai would take her. Only danger remained, danger for her and her family. Absolute assured destruction if they took her to the hospital against her will. Her sister stood by the door.

"Kala?" Daya sounded uncertain, "Is this about Wolfgang?"

"Yes and no," Kala shook her head, " Something is wrong, people are coming after me, and they will not hesitate to hurt you and our parents."

"Where will you go?"

"I don't know," whispered Kala, looking up and seeing her sister biting back tears. "Daya, I promise I will be back, when I have fixed everything."

Daya looked scared, "Are you sure you are not going crazy?"

A tiny strangled laugh escaped Kala, "No." she tossed the last of her stuff into her purse and picked up her passport. "But, we both know I can't stay here."

Her sister nodded and wiped her eyes, "I will talk to mother and father, and try to bring them around."

Kala had to swallow the lump in her throat, "You are a far better sister than I deserve." She wrapped her in a hug and placed a kiss on the top of Daya's head before pulling away.

The concerned and desperate voices of her parents followed her as she left the house, the old familiar creak of the door almost making her turn back. But she gathered up her courage and slipped into to a tuk-tuk, telling the driver to take her to airport, before a fresh wave of tears over took her.

A small hand slipped into hers, and she felt her head being cradled softly onto Riley's narrow shoulder.

"It's ok, let it out," she murmured into Kala's hair, "This is not goodbye, you will be back."

Quiet piano music slowly replaced the sound of traffic, horns, and chaotic voices, as Riley wrapped them both in her memories, like a soft quilt.

Kala wept, violent sobs shaking her shoulders and chest, while Riley held her without flinching. "You are not alone," she whispered, when Kala's breathing finally slowed, "We are beside you always."

"What should I do?"

"I don't know," replied Riley, stroking a hand through Kala's knotted hair. "Just be smarter than I was."

She remembered now, gaining some distance from the selfish grief that had consumed her, that Riley had done this before. Ripped herself from a loving home, moved to a new country with nothing and no one to help her. She could only marvel at her courage.

Wolfgang appeared behind her, she could feel his guilt, bitter and familiar. Of course he was blaming himself for this. He smiled a little ruefully at her and took her other hand. With great effort she felt him repress all those thoughts and replace them with a calm, comforting, presence.

"Come to me," he said, squeezing her hand gently. "We can stay in Amsterdam until we figure out what to do." The slightest lowering of his eyelashes was the only indicator of the depth of vulnerability behind his next words, "Please, I am scared for you."

Riley had quietly left, so Kala took his other hand, toying with his fingers as she decided. Finally she nodded, and he let out an audible sigh of relief, wrapping her in his arms.

Exhausted in a way that only crying made her; Kala leaned gratefully into him, closing her stinging eyes.

He is getting better at being comforting, she thought muzzily, hours later, curled up on the seat of a plane to Amsterdam, cramped between two families, half lulled to sleep by the echo of his arms around her. The plane jolted and shook with turbulence, but Kala kept her eyes closed, mind somewhere else, safely distant from her reality. Caught in a blue green dream where there was only comforting scent of water and faint chlorine and buoyant stillness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is up TOMORROW. It is also my favourite chapter, so there is that. As always, feel free to comment!


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20:

The train station was resolutely empty. Wolfgang, who had been pacing in front of the arrivals board for the last half hour, growled under his breath. Felix, slouching in his wheelchair, a cane slung over one knee was watching in considerable amusement.

"That isn't going to make her come any faster."

Wolfgang shot him a dirty look and finished his orbit around the half empty row of seats, before settling in the seat next him.

"I don't get it," said Felix quietly, "Can't you visit her when ever you want?"

"It isn't the same," Wolfgang tried to explain it, realized there wasn't any reasonable way to and just gave up and shrugged.

After Kala had finally drifted off in her cramped seat on the plane, head lolling to one side then the other, he had carefully extricated himself from her thoughts, returning to Felix and their brightly lit train compartment. He took great care not to disturb the delicate peace of her slumber with his dark and guilty thoughts. Somehow, he should have seen this coming. It was hard to shake the distinct feeling that this was all his fault.

Not that he had much time to brood over the past few hours; the logistics of travelling with someone in a wheelchair were nightmarish.

Originally, Felix had been very set on walking, but that was only until he realized that he was barely strong enough to get about ten meter, even leaning heavily on his cane. It was very grudgingly that he allowed Wolfgang to push him down the cobblestone streets, face sheet white in pain every time they hit a bump. Still, he had insisted on accompanying Wolfgang from the hotel to the train station, hating being cooped up in a hotel room.

A few hundred meters from a gas station outside Mexico City, Lito was also waiting impatiently, the brutal desert sun beating down on his shoulders. Nomi and Amanita were set to meet him any minute now. Hernando, ever a force of calm and reason, was napping in the rented car behind him, but Lito and Wolfgang were both too restless to stay still for long.

"Ooh! Oh!" Felix pointed excitedly, "Is that her?"

Wolfgang turned, chest doing this curious throbbing thing, to stare at the person Felix was pointing at: a wrinkled old woman, pushing a walker, that was starting to glare at them.

"I hate you."

Felix cackled, "Got you." Wolfgang sat back down and closed his eyes; he had a headache from Sun. He had visited her just a few hours earlier, talking very softly. Her attention span was short, and looking at things made her head spin. The unspoken fear in all of them was permanent mental damage.

A sharp elbow from Felix jerked him back, "Its her!"

"Not falling for that again, Felix," grumbled Wolfgang without opening his eyes, massaging his throbbing temples, it was so hard to focus.

"Good afternoon," said Kala softly.

Wolfgang jumped up, wondering how had she managed to sneak up on him. That thought was quickly eclipsed as she threw herself into his arms, happiness zinging wildly through them. He couldn't resist lifting her off the ground, kissing her hard once.

Instantly, her mind enveloped his, consuming the greys and cool blues of the airport and replacing them the scent of spice and the most vivid shade of golden yellow that he always associated with her. The world shifted a little and he felt sharper, that little spark of curiosity she always carried with her waking him up.

Felix cleared his throat and Wolfgang realized they had likely been doing that thing where time and space lost its meaning, which probably just looked like a whole bunch of blank staring.

Letting go, he gestured in his friend's general direction, not quite ready to tear his eyes off Kala. "Kala, this is Felix." She smiled brilliantly back at him, causing his chest to do that weird spasm thing again, and then turned to Felix offering him her hand.

"It is a pleasure to meet you," she said in German. Felix looked slightly taken aback, but nodded politely, remembering.

"Likewise," Felix looked slightly awkward for a second, but then Kala smiled and they launched into comfortable small talk. Wolfgang blinked at the two of them confusedly, before remembering that, of course, Kala was the outgoing one. He was so familiar with her thoughts, her anxiety at meeting Felix, her grief over her job and family, he had forgotten how often she had to do this. Half of academia, he had learned, was knowing how chat up complete strangers.

He tuned them out on the short drive from the train station to their hotel rooms; preferring to re-memorize Kala, content just to hold her hand, for now. Her mind bright with wonder, filed away questions and observations, as she stared awed at the orderly racks of bicycles parked outside of the station, glittering indistinctly like the wings of locusts.

Her eyes were slightly puffy; he knew she had been crying on the ride here, but she was getting better at hiding her emotion. For the entire train ride she had refused to let him visit her, clearly sorting her feelings away into neatly contained boxes. He was familiar with the practice. She noticed him watching and smiled at him brightly again, clearly not wanting to talk about it.

Electricity shot through them as she leant over to kiss his cheek.

It was mid-afternoon and the streets were busy, but they were determined to keep a low profile; Wolfgang looked around furtively as he helped Felix into the lobby of the hotel room. A brightly smiling woman took the wheelchair from Felix, who insisted on walking the rest of the way.

The hallway was empty, and quiet except from the hum of an air conditioning unit.

He felt Kala's internal sigh of regret over not being able to sightsee, but it was quickly eclipsed. Other desires become present. She looked up at him with warm dark eyes, eyes that had lost none of their power over him. Wolfgang was suddenly achingly aware that she was finally here again, with him, in person.

He hesitated as they padded down the carpeted hallway of the hotel, Felix's cane beating out a muted rhythm. Felix just met his eye and laughed.

"Go on, get it out of your system," He gestured to down the hall. "I will be in my room, Face-timing Julia with very effective headphones on."

Kala blushed to the roots of her hair, but Wolfgang just sent Felix a grateful nod and dragged her into his room, fumbling with the key card.

The door had barely shut before he had her pressed against it, picking her up so she could wrap those long legs around his waist. Little gasps escaped from her lips, echoing in his ears, almost instantly erasing his headache. Her fingers were sliding off his jacket, nails scrapping lightly over his skin.

Somehow they ended up on the bed, still half dressed. Wolfgang was desperately trying to remind himself to be gentle, though he was already achingly hard, as Kala looked up at him. He could feel that her legs had already started to shake. She gave him slightly shy smile, chewing on her bottom lip, and then gently pushed down on his shoulders, so that he knelt between her legs.

He heard her whisper an unnecessary 'please' as he shoved her skirt out of the way, already anticipating her warmth, her taste. The addictive feeling of her pleasure was already seeping through him.

When he was finally inside of her thoughts vanished, consumed by an animal need to claim her, bite her, find someway to stay inside her forever until they were well and truly only one person. Digging his fingers desperately into the sheets beside her head, he tried to memorize every single time she gasped his name.

Later, somewhat sated, they lay twined together, Wolfgang fiddling with the strands of Kala's hair that had partially obscured his field of vision. It was the most effective way he had found to fight the craving for a cigarette that always followed sex. The golden haze of her afterglow surrounded them.

"You doing ok?" asked Kala finally, peaking up at him from under a dark fringe of lashes. He snorted; it was really him that should be asking that question.

"Yeah," said Wolfgang, finally realizing that despite it all, he was. Better than fine, really. "And you?"

Kala snuggled a little closer, "Much better now." He could feel her repressing thoughts of the future, the consequences of her joblessness.

An amusing thought occurred to him. "Worst comes to worst, we could steal shit for a living." He shot her a teasing look, "I was doing a pretty good job of it before all of this happened."

He didn't have to look at her to see the disapproving look that crossed her face.

"Yeah," he continued, "Yeah, I know morals and that, but think you could be the mastermind –"

"-And you would be my ...my thug?" Kala let out burst of reluctant laughter, "Does that mean I get to sit around in extravagant silk dresses and order you around?"

Wolfgang grinned, "I was thinking a big fur coat."

"No fur," Kala rolled over and propped herself up on his chest. "I think I like this, though, and that way I can make sure you don't do anything that gets you killed."

Wolfgang felt the very real concern behind that statement, but both of them were light and giddy at the feeling of being back in each other's arms. The rest would come later.

"Or," suggested Kala, "We could get real people jobs and live in an apartment, with proper décor, " she shot Wolfgang a pointed look, "in Mumbai."

If this had been anyone but Kala Wolfgang would have already been running for the hills. Even so, he shifted uncomfortably under her. There were many reasons why he never planned for a future with anyone, and although the sensate connection had changed most aspects of his life, it had not changed this. He was surprised she would even think about it, given what had just happened. But then Kala was always more of an optimist than he.

Life was not a fucking fairytale; they both knew that now. Yet somehow, before he was even aware of it, the image of him and Kala living together, sitting side by side in some sunlit room, her tea steaming beside her, maybe with a house plant or two filled his mind. And before he could stop himself, he was correcting her.

"Berlin."

"Both."

"We are going to need some pretty fucking good 'real people' jobs to afford both."

Kala smiled down at him, lightly running a finger down the bridge of his nose. "You would be willing then?"

Wolfgang was suddenly forced to swallow around the lump in his throat, "Yeah," he managed.

The bright smile that lit up her face dazed him for a minute. That must be the reason he wasn't panicking about all of this, why he was thinking rather wistfully about a whole boatload of squishy sentimental shit, like end tables and vases. He didn't know a thing about vases.

As always, she was clued into his thoughts, "Don't worry," her fingers reached under his chin to gently scratch at the stubble growing there. "I will pick out the furniture."

A laugh escaped him despite the barely suppressed undercurrent of panic, "Thank God." He squinted at his watch, it was well past dinner; he could almost hear Kala's stomach growling.

"Thai takeout ok?" Wolfgang winced, "It is Felix's favourite and I think I owe him." It had become something of a running joke between the two of them, back when they had shared a flat. Wolfgang's absence could be bought with a case of beer and a box of pistachio ice cream, Felix's with Thai takeout and a new comic book.

Kala nodded and then laughed at his expression, "Come," she said, "We can bring it to him."

*** *** ***

"So," said Felix reclining in the shabby hotel armchair, setting aside his box of takeout with the air of someone settling for a great story. "How did you meet?"

Kala was suddenly very glad it was dim in the room; her position, perched on the corner of Felix's bed, chopsticks in hand, ideally hid her expression.

If you didn't count a few glimpses and impressions, that song they had sung together and the odd drunken (on his part) conversation in the bathroom (which she didn't) the first time they met was... "You didn't tell him?" she asked Wolfgang.

Wolfgang, who was reclined on the end of the bed beside her, appeared to be fighting back a laugh. "Nope." He adopted a stage whisper, "I feared for my life if I did."

Felix perked up. "This is going to be good."

"No, no," replied Kala, "No, nothing to tell really, he just took me by surprise. I fainted a little that's all." Wolfgang was now vibrating with silent laughter beside her.

Shaking his head in disbelief, Felix turned to Wolfgang, "She is a terrible liar! How did you fall for such a bad liar?"

Wolfgang only continued to muffle his laughter. There was a lot of smugness behind his mirth that made Kala want to childishly stick out her tongue at him. Lightness was filling her, unexpected in its force.

"Ok, ok," said Kala, "I was at my wedding."

"Good place as any to start a new relationship. And where was Wolfie?"

She bit her lip, and firmly resisted elbowing Wolfgang who now had his face completely hidden in his arms. "Uh, swimming."

A look of unadulterated delight started to spread across Felix's face. "You didn't –" He staggered to his feet and pointed at Wolfgang, "You always swim at that club, where –"

A pair of blue eyes, watering with laughter emerged, but he still didn't say anything.

Kala blushed harder.

"Um," she managed. "As I said it was big surprise, " Felix's eyes widened in triumph at her unintentional double entendre. Kala realized with dawning horror what she had just said. Oh dear. Wolfgang was now fully curled into a ball of silent hysterical laughter on the bed beside her.

"HA!" Felix crowed.

"By which I mean, -" Kala said, cheeks on fire, trying and failing to salvage the situation.

"-You fainted when you saw his dick!" Felix let out a shout of laughter and did a convulsive little jump, then bent over wincing. He recovered and rounded on Wolfgang. "Wolfie, man, I could kill you for keeping this story from me!" Wolfgang shook his head, wiping tears of laughter out of his eyes.

"You absolute fucking champion!" crowed Felix, pulling him in for a hug and some sort of complicated handshake. "You are a national fucking treasure." He cupped Wolfgang's cheeks in his hands.

Wolfgang had time to shoot Kala one look that was a small amount of apology mixed in with a large amount of male pride, before Kala intervened.

"Ok! That is quite enough," she snapped, separating the two. "I am quite sure both of you would have had the same reaction if a strange naked man showed up and your wedding and you were wearing sixty pounds of dress!"

Felix had the grace to manage a somewhat chagrined look, "My apologies, my lady." He made a courtly bow, still hampered by his injuries. Kala let out a huff of air and rolled her eyes. Wolfgang on the other hand, grinned and gathered her up in his arms, burying his face in her hair.

"Then,- " he continued, "- she showed up in my bedroom the next morning, going through my closet. So, I did the natural thing and tried to get her to have sex with me."

Felix nodded approvingly, "And look how well that has turned out for you, cranking up the ole charm, it always works."

Felix turned conspiratorially to Kala, "I am always telling him he needs to put himself out there more. He has the whole strong and silent thing down, but ladies don't want to fuck someone that will just glower at them."

"Language," admonished Wolfgang, somewhat hypocritically and entirely belatedly.

Kala ignored him, and leaned closer to Felix, "This 'lady' kicked him out of her bed and called him a pervert demon."

"Even after he did the little thing with the dimples and the puppy eyes?" Felix whispered, "That always works."

"Even after that." Kala whispered back.

"I am sitting right here," pointed out Wolfgang.

They ignored him.

"You know," continued Felix, "He used to be so shy around women, I would have to get him piss drunk before he would even talk to them."

Kala leaned even closer, raising an eyebrow, "Do tell more."

"Well, there was this one time –"

"Nope." Wolfgang took Kala by the arm and shepherded her towards the door, "That is enough, good night, we are going to bed." And with that they were out of the room, door closing on Felix's raucous laughter.

In the hallway, Kala grinned up at Wolfgang, reaching up to smooth that lock of hair that always stuck up at the back of his head. "I like him."

And she did. Felix was the perfect counterpoint to Wolfgang's grimness, dragging him out of the darkness that dogged him without ever being condescending.

He let out a disgruntled sigh, but she could feel his overwhelming relief that she and Felix got along. "Got along a little too well," he grumbled voicing his thoughts out loud. "I'm just glad he will stop making catfishing jokes about us now."

Kala giggled, and took his hand, swinging their arms between them as they walked back to their room. "Were you an awkward teenager?"

"No," he tried and failed to keep a straight face. "Yes. Wasn't everyone?"

Kala let out a little chuckle and fumbled with the key card, "I suppose so." She smirked and shook her head. "I was so...ugh... and I had these ginormous glasses, super thick lenses, it was not the best look on me."

"What happened to them?"

"I got laser eye surgery in my fourth year of university," Kala kicked off her shoes, threw herself on the bed. "I see twenty/ twenty now."

"Must have been expensive," commented Wolfgang, leaning against the wall to take off his boots.

"It was," she said, "My university helped pay for it," she blushed modestly, "It was impacting my ability to do science."

Wolfgang looked fondly down at her as he began unbuttoning his shirt, "You are somewhat of a genius aren't you?"

"No," Kala laughed and started to slip the pins out of her hair, "I just worked hard, and got lucky a lot of the time."

Wolfgang sent her a warm, but disbelieving look, before kicking off his pants and settling next to her. His breath tickled her neck as he nuzzled up against her. She closed her eyes, reveling in having him close to her. Carefully storing up memories of him, for the next time they were parted. He was avoiding any thoughts about her parents, giving her the space to make her own choices. She was very grateful for that. For a long moment, Kala just laid beside him. Recording, as best she could, the scraping of his stubble over her skin, the scent of his soap, the taste of his skin.

The bed shook as he started squirming slightly, feeling sticky. "Shower?" she suggested. He nodded, and she had only a moment to feel surprised before he caught her hand a pulled her with him to the bathroom.

She woke up in the middle of the night to the feeling of fingers sliding down her torso, Wolfgang's mouth leaving urgent kisses on the back of her neck. Saccharine and hypnotic, his lust drifted across her mind. Her back arched against him of its own accord. The orange light slicing through the cracks in the curtains alighted on the dips and curves of their limbs; sleek and indistinct like the alien shapes of some aquatic creature. She felt disconnected from her body as if she were hovering above them, still half caught in the world of sleep, anchored only by the feeling of his fingers on her skin.

His eyes glittered darkly at her as she pushed him down on the bed, watching the shadows play across shape of his ribs, feeling his chest rise and fall rapidly as she stroked her hands over him, teasing him with little swipes of her thumb, watching as his lips parted, only lightly touching him until his expression became a little dangerous. He reached for her, but she pushed his hands away, pinning them against the headboard.

"Stay still." She murmured into his ear, before biting it just hard enough to cause a little sting. She felt his surprise at her assertiveness before it was engulfed by desperate desire, a soft gasp escaping him, pupils blown wide in the half-light. Almost reflexively, his hips thrust up; she took her hand off him immediately. He never could follow instructions.

"Kala," his voice was almost pleading. She couldn't help smirking at him a little, all fear forgotten in the safety of the night. There was a soft thump as his head tipped back in pleasure against the wall, and she found that place just below his left ear with her mouth. "Dear God."

They were nose to nose when she finally straddled him, sliding down inch by slow inch, lost in the fullness of it, stretching to accommodate him, still hypersensitive from earlier. All noise was replaced by the sound of the air rushing in and out of their lungs.

For a moment they were perfectly still, his hands settled lightly around her hips but they were not demanding; it was her move. Kala watched him attentively as she began to sway gently, she had been too shy before to meet his eye, or too lost in the overwhelming feeling of the connection to be aware. But this time she looked, unashamedly, reaching out with her mind as well as her fingers. Somewhere buried in him, very well hidden she felt the same shyness, fear of inadequacy, that she felt, indicated only by the flutter of his eyelashes as he met her gaze. Firmly, she placed her hands on his chest and pushed him flat against the mattress.

He smiled then, sweetly, with just the slightest hint of mischief and let his arms fall so that his hands were over his head, clearly surrendering.

She could see herself through his eyes, outlined in the hazy ocher light from the window behind her, a corona of curls, and soft curves. Admiration jolted through him, as she began to move more confidently, experimentally sliding her hands over her chest and to the place where they met, exploring what felt best. His eyes fell shut and he let out a moan as she clenched around him.

The connection billowed between them, and Kala began to move faster, the rhythm of her hips a counterpoint to the unsteady little exhales that escaped him. His legs gave just the slightest tremble underneath her and pleasure that she could have such an effect on him shot through her, causing her to clench hard around him again.

He watched her through half lidded eyes, hands still over his head in surrender until her legs started to tire, and he gently flipped them over, slipping a hand between them.

The desperation from earlier that day was gone, replaced only by an almost unbearable tenderness. Kala felt him shudder both in fear and joy at that, an unreadable expression crossing his face, as she came undone around him in long slow shuddering waves, before he buried his head in her shoulder and followed.

Her mind was blissfully blank as she fell asleep a few minutes later, cocooned in blankets and his arms.

*** *** ***

Breakfast was a raucous affair. Of course it was, thought Wolfgang blurrily: Felix and Kala were both morning people. Fuck them. Felix on his own was bad enough, but he seemed to have taken it in his head to entertain Kala with what sounded like the plot summary of every single comic book he had ever read. And she was nodding enthusiastically along, occasionally shooting Wolfgang mildly amused looks as he sipped at his coffee.

A crackling sound was pervading his mind; Wolfgang shook his head slightly and tried to focus. Kala was now excitedly listing off her favourite Bollywood films.

"What do you like to watch?" asked Kala turning to him.

He thought about it. "Reality TV," he shrugged, "Like cooking competitions and dancing and shit."

Felix shook his head mournfully, "He has no taste."

Kala laughed, but then abruptly stopped, dropping her toast and cocking her head to the side curiously. The crackling sound intensified. Her and Wolfgang's eyes met. Without a word they travelled to the source.

Nomi had just settled into a hotel overlooking the picturesque beaches and massive skyscrapers crowding the shorelines of Acapulco; she was sitting on a bed, her phone pressed to her ear, the crackling and popping was emanating from its little speaker. Kala and Wolfgang arrived in time for a monotone male voice, with an American accent, to rise over the crackling sound.

"Hello Nomi. I look forward to meeting you." The flat voice recited, as if reading from a script. Then the phone hung up with a click. Moments later it dinged again, a text from an unknown number, with a web link.

Nomi clicked it numbly; it was a live-stream news channel, well into its nightly report.

"-A massive fire has broke out in one of the older residential areas of San Francisco, no deaths confirmed so far, but most tenants are still unaccounted for, early estimates report millions of dollars in property damage. This area has a rich history, and is home much of the local LGBTQ+ community. Firefighters have just arrived on scene, here to bring us the report-"

Nomi dropped her phone and raised a shaking hand to her mouth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter on Sunday! Hope you like this one... Anyways, let me know that you think!


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21:

Her phone started to ring again. Nomi seemed unable to move, so Wolfgang bent to pick it up. The phone line no longer crackled, as he placed it to his ear.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked calmly, making his voice almost as monotone as the one that answered.

"It is a shame, house fires are such common things..."

"Get to the point."

"You have two days. Come to see me in Chicago, Nomi, just a little chat. I know you know how to find me..."

The call ended and Wolfgang slowly lowered the phone from his ear. The rest of the cluster was staring curiously at him, waiting for him to speak, but Wolfgang's mind was racing.

This was an abrupt change in strategy. Mentally, he had already determined that Whispers was not the kind to engage in such an overt threat, to risk something that was clearly beyond the realm of legality. So what had changed?

Wolfgang had always possessed a gift for strategy, for reading people, but he was truly stymied this time. Whispers using Riley to get to Will made sense. His subsequent removal of Jonas from the equation also made sense. Targeting Sun after realizing her abilities was the next logical move. After that, Wolfgang would have anticipated a quiet period from Whispers. He had bought time by injuring Sun so severely, and he likely knew that Will's comatose state was only temporary. So why would he decide to be the aggressor now?

Kala's mind, steady and analytical brushed his, and he felt her settle beside him, they had moved from the crowded café back to the hotel room. After a few minutes of aimless staring Felix walked them back, occasionally grabbing their arms to keep them from wandering into traffic, muttering to himself. Nomi's shock and rage thundered through the cluster, but between the two of them was only calm and deep concentration. They operated in the same way when it came to a crisis, he realized.

Kala smiled beside him and took his hand; strengthening the bubble of focus between them.

"There must be a new variable," she said softly, voicing the conclusion he had just come to. "Something has changed and it likely has to do with Chicago."

Wolfgang nodded.

"Which of course means," continued Kala, "the best way to figure out what he is up to is –"

"-to go to Chicago," finished Wolfgang. Their eyes met, it went without saying how dangerous that would be.

"Obviously," replied Kala, "We can't send Nomi."

"Agreed, he wants her specifically for something."

"Or is it just that she is easiest to find?"

"Or that she has the skills to prevent Whispers from finding us?"

"Stop that," said Lito. "You are making my head hurt; what makes sense to me is to hide."

"No. Not a chance. I am done with hiding. This is war." declared Nomi, whose eyes were red rimmed with grief and fury. Amanita could be heard on the phone, through the half closed balcony door, reassuring her mother that they were safe.

Lito was already sitting beside her comfortingly holding her hand.

Wolfgang raised an eyebrow; "You have changed your mind then?"

"Yes." Nomi's phone was on her lap, where her nerveless fingers had lost the strength to hold it anymore. The news report was still going on, a large red banner scrolling across the lower screen proclaimed: Five confirmed deaths and counting as firefighters work to control the blaze. "I will destroy that bastard."

"Nomi," said Lito softly, "Have you considered that he knew you would feel this way? That is why he would do such a thing, because it is a trap."

"I don't care," said Nomi fiercely, "Those were our friends, that was my home."

"Whispers isn't the prize," said Wofgang from the corner of the room. The rest of the cluster looked over curiously. Riley made a noise of protest.

Kala caught on first. The scent of cigar smoke filled her nose as Wolfgang recalled conversations his uncle had conducted with his younger self. Sergi was leaning back in a chair, smoking and looking self-satisfied. A sheet of paper laid between them, Wolfgang's signature, childish and unpracticed at the time, was laid down in black ink at the bottom.

"Of course we need to deal with him. But one man doesn't make an organization," explained Wolfgang, "He has sponsors, a chain of command established in case something happens, he has to."

Not so different from academia in some ways, thought Kala, and she could have sworn she saw Wolfgang's mouth twitch slightly. In the end, it came down to the organization as a whole, if done correctly, the loss of one individual would not hinder the cause significantly.

"As long as the funding and support for BPO remains, I don't see how we can stop someone else from taking his place, and we don't know if there are other sensates on his side," continued Kala.

Silence settled over the group,

Then suddenly Nomi began to smile, it was not a pleasant smile, "We need a whistleblower."

"Yes," said Lito, understanding immediately, "Yes, then no one gets hurt!" he jumped up and turned to Nomi, "You can just do your hacking thing and expose BPO's actions to the world. The public turns on them, and he can't keep doing his experiments."

"And reveal the truth about us?" asked Riley, "Do you really think that would make us safer?"

"Ok, so maybe not all of BPO's actions," amended Lito.

"It wouldn't work like that anyways," said Nomi, fiddling with the edge of her shirt. "I can't just hack into their system and find information like that."

"Why not?" inquired Lito.

"Because," explained Nomi, only betraying a hint of exasperation, "No one in his or her right mind would keep confidential information like that in a place accessible to outside sources. Especially since Whispers baited me like that. It would be kept on an internal system like a-"

"-Hard drive," interrupted Wolfgang, Nomi looked up surprised.

"-or something of that sort." she finished, "How do you know that? You barely know how to turn on a computer."

Wolfgang chose not to be offended by that. "My uncle had one where he kept all of his business records, he always locked it in a safe, called it his little black box."

Despite her distress, Nomi raised a skeptical eyebrow.

Wolfgang shrugged, "He did have a taste for the theatrical."

"Ok," said Kala, bringing them back on track, "So we find out where the hard drive is being kept, steal it and then leak the information. That still doesn't solve the Chicago problem."

"I will go," Nomi raised her chin resolutely, "I will not let him hurt more of my friends."

"Is it wise to just rush in?" asked Capheus, who had finally joined them, bringing with him the scent of something savory cooking and faint strains of a TV show in Mandarin.

"There is nothing to be gained from waiting," commented Riley, and they knew Will was on her mind. "He said we only have two days."

Wolfgang sympathized with her impatience deeply, however; "We will likely only have one attempt at this, it needs to be well planned."

Kala, chewing on her lip leaning against Nomi's desk, was fixated on something else, "If we are to expose BPO we will need your skills Nomi. Someone else has to go to Chicago."

Wolfgang frowned; he didn't like the way Kala was thinking. Lito sensed his concern and quickly changed the subject.

"But is it even possible to get the information?" he asked, "Where is it?"

Frowning Nomi reached for her laptop, "I'm not so sure, there are six BPO facilities in total, the data could be stored in anyone of them, or more likely all of them."

"What makes you think it is there at all?" asked Capheus, "What would stop him from hiding it somewhere else completely?"

"He would have to modify it," realized Kala, "if it is patient records and such, experiments, he would have to be able to update it, likely daily." She drummed her fingers on Nomi's desk, "The information would have to be on site, and it would probably be different in every facility. Although Whispers might have a master copy."

"Six," Wolfgang thought hard. "It is possible. But we will have to move quickly, so we have surprise on our side."

The rest of the cluster indicated their agreement, looking around he could see varied expressions of fear and excitement, apprehension and hope.

All he felt was numbness, cold resolve. It was a heist, which was easy enough for him, exactly the kind of job he could have expected for Sergi a few months ago. It would seem something's never changed.

Kala's curly hair caught his eye as she leaned over Nomi's shoulder looking at some kind of blueprint. Or did they?

Six locations. Six simultaneous break-ins. It was the only way it would work. They knew where Whispers would be, that was to their advantage. The break-ins would be easier in the non-Chicago locations.

Would that outweigh the disadvantages? Sun and Will would not be able to provide much help in their current state; Nomi would be needed to orchestrate the expose. And none of them knew how to fight except him. Christ.

Capheus stood half a chance on his own, Riley, he could help and Kala he would protect with his life. But he wasn't going to be able to help her and Riley and Lito at the same time.

Looking at them now, Wolfgang realized the horrible truth: he couldn't bear to lose any of them.

*** *** ***

Kala sat nervously in the mostly empty café, fiddling with her half drunk cup of tea. It was nothing like the kind they had at home, but still the familiar swirls of steam rising from the cup were calming.

Wolfgang had wanted to come with her, but he had been needed elsewhere, a look of blank distraction coming over his face as Nomi pulled him away to discuss strategy.

The time on her phone read 12:00, outside a dull drizzle had started, nothing like the downpour of the monsoon that she had become so used to.

Would she come?

The jingling of bells as the door opened made Kala look up sharply, and there she was; Dr. Gallo, as impeccably dressed as usual, cane at her side.

Kala reached out a hand instinctively as she approached and then retracted it immediately when a coolly amused smile crossed Dr. Gallo's face. She gracefully settled down beside her, and waved a dismissive hand at the waiter who came by to take her order.

"Hi," began Kala awkwardly. "Um, so –"

"I am aware of the situation," Dr. Gallo interrupted, "Marie has been keeping an eye on things."

"Oh," said Kala slightly derailed, "And?"

Dr. Gallo reached into the folds of her coat and pulled out a small black clutch, it looked like the kind of bag someone would keep make-up in. "The blocking agent. And I have arranged for some to be sent to your other cluster members."

"You know where they are?"

"No." Dr. Gallo, adjusted her coat slightly, "But if you intend to take down BPO I know where they will have to be."

"And," said Kala, now completely nonplussed, she had been expecting an argument, "You think this will work?"

"I don't know," she gestured elegantly over her left shoulder to a man seated by the window that Kala hadn't noticed come in but immediately recognized as her brother. "Whispers is up to something, I have had three kidnapping attempts from him since you left Florence. This is why I was able to come and meet you so quickly; I have been staying with a friend in Brussels."

"Why? I thought he said you were not useful to him anymore."

She lifted one shoulder in a shrug, "Clearly something has changed, and I don't like it. Marie tells me he has been spending an unusual amount of time in his Chicago facility."

Kala nodded, suspicions confirmed, "Yes, we noticed that too."

"I had intended to stage my own... investigation, for lack of a better word, but we don't have much in the way of offensive capacities. I am sure Marie has told you. The sensates that have survived BPO, many are older, ones that pre-date Whisper's birth and there are very few of us left."

"How many?" asked Kala.

Dr. Gallo's mouth tightened, "I cannot give you a precise number for obvious reasons, but we think less than twenty."

"Less than twenty!" Kala gaped, she had suspected they were rare, but that would mean her cluster made up almost half of all sensates.

"I have seen many of my friends fall over the years," and Dr. Gallo swallowed, a rare display of emotion. "The time is ripe."

"But," said Kala, confused at her abrupt change in heart, "I thought you said we would just mess up your plans."

"I might have been wrong."

Kala stared, was it possible she had completely misjudged her?

Dr. Gallo smiled as if she could see her expression, it looked odd on her face.

"You are more competent than I thought Dr. Dandakar –" she stopped abruptly and tilted her head slightly to the right. Kala knew immediately that she was speaking to Marie, when she let out a soft utterance in Italian and then shook her head as if to clear it.

Dr. Gallo pushed the bag towards Kala, "We will take care of the facility in Iceland, Marie and I have been planning for that one for years. And-" she paused, "South Africa, for Saul and Ritchie," her voice unexpectedly emotional as she named her two dead cluster mates.

Kala nodded wordlessly, before realizing she couldn't see her. Dr. Gallo stood, gathering her cane. Kala stood as well.

"Your fighter is sick, right?"

"Yes."

Dr. Gallo, indicated her brother, "I will not have any need of him for the next little while, I would be happy to lend him to wherever he is needed, He is quite loyal to our cause."

Kala thought about it for a second. "Portugal," she said at last. Wolfgang and Nomi had already agreed that is where Riley would go. Dr. Gallo curtly inclined her head, and then offered her gloved hand. Kala took it.

"Until we meet again." and with that she was gone, her brother following discretely.

*** *** *** 

"No," snapped Wolfgang, spots of anger rising on his cheeks.

He had been pouring over a world map on Kala's laptop when she burst in. The BPO facilities were marked in red. Nomi had sent it over a few hours ago, before she buried herself in in phase two of their plan. If Kala peaked over at her screen in Mexico, she could see lines of code and numerous open chat boxes. Nomi was typing so fast it gave Kala a headache to watch her. Wolfgang was far more analog, writing things down on a pad of hotel paper in all capital letters.

"I don't understand," said Kala, who understood perfectly, but refused to just give up without a fight. "I am the best person to go to the Chicago facility, that leaves Capheus and Sun to China, Lito to Colombia, and you to Norway. Riley is closest to Portugal and she is needed to maintain contact with Will."

Riley nodded in agreement, but she was chewing her nails down to stumps. A syringe full of the blocking drug was sitting on the bedside table. They would wake him at the last possible moment, giving them the most time to consult with him.

"It makes more sense to send me because I know how to fight," said Wolfgang curtly, pacing around the tiny apartment that Will and Riley were currently staying in. Julia was watching Riley curiously from over top of the small laptop she had just bought fiddling with a complicated looking set of earpieces.

"You are immune to the blocking drug!" cried Kala. "If he sees you it will all be over."

"No," said Wolfgang in a tone that was ringing with finality. There was a terrible darkness lurking behind his words, an old and familiar fear.

Kala, who had learned from their last conversation, gently took his arm and lead him back to their hotel room, where they could talk in relative privacy. "Why not? Strategically it makes the most sense."

"No."

"Wolfgang."

He met her eye and then let out a shuddering sigh. "Because of the two of us, you deserve to be safe. And I want you as far away from the bastard as possible."

"That is ludicrous, since when is it about deserving anything?"

"Since I can actually do something about it."

Throwing up her hands in frustration, Kala turned away from him, turning to look out the window at the dreary clouds outside.

The entire world felt off balance, she felt like she was actually going crazy. When they had come up with this plan earlier it had been easy to be calm. The implications had all been abstract; Kala had easily lost herself in the details and the stress over contacting Dr. Gallo. But now...

On repeat, looping over and over, was the image of him post-lobotomy, sallow, all animation gone, not even a spark of the fury and protectiveness that was currently emanating from him remaining.

She knew for a fact he was thinking the exact same thing about her. There was no way he was going to let her go. Instead he was going to throw himself in the line of fire with the same lack of regard for his own wellbeing as before. Saviour complexes would seem to run in the cluster. Kala shook her head violently to clear it.

"Kala?"

She sighed, "I don't want to argue."

He nodded in agreement; slightly startled that she was not putting up more of a fight. Kala bit her lip, and kept her mind carefully separate from his.

"I need to take a walk," she muttered, endeavouring to keep her voice steady, "Alone."

Wolfgang nodded again, frowning and watched her go, before putting his face in his hands. Kala heard the TV flick on as she left.

*** *** ***

It felt like hours had passed before Kala returned. She had shied away from any attempts he made to contact her, mind broiling with fear and hurt, so he gave her space, filling his ears with the sounds of the TV. The rest of the plan came together well, he had been assigned the easy part, and the goal was simple enough. Now it was just waiting, waiting and monitoring. It seemed that Whispers had not increased security significantly at any facility other than Chicago, although it was hard to know for sure.

If he cared to analyze the situation right now, which he didn't, he knew that sending Kala to Norway wasn't a perfect option. But it was safer, and as long as she didn't end up facing off with Whispers he was satisfied with it.

A twinge of regret spread through him. Had he been a better man, a stronger person, he would have never said yes to her, never started this whole relationship.

Where would she have been then? Safe in Mumbai? Married? With her family?

Wolfgang took a deep and steadying breath. It didn't matter now.

There was a gentle knock on the hotel door and then Kala poked her head in. The walk must have helped; her thoughts were much calmer although she was still keeping him at a distance.

"I ran into Felix in the hall, he ordered some food for us. It is in his room."

Wolfgang nodded absently and got up. "Did you tell him? About tomorrow?"

"No," Kala bit her lip, "I thought you should do that."

Lunch was a predictably somber affair as he explained the plan to Felix. He took it only marginally better than Kala, but seemed unwilling to argue with him in front of her. When most of the food was gone, Felix turned to the mini-fridge and pulled out three cans of beer. Wolfgang raised an eyebrow.

"Non-alcoholic," said Felix in a tone of absolute disgust. "Don't worry I didn't forget about my meds. Still it is tradition."

Bittersweet memories of the tense 'night before the heist' routines that he and Felix had flooded his mind, but he tried for lightness anyways:

"Since when have we needed an excuse to drink?" he replied, watching as Kala jumped up to help Felix pour the beer into the plastic hotel cups, fiddling with the cups, and carried one over to him.

Felix raised his glass and toasted, "To victory," with only a hint of irony playing about the corners of his mouth, before draining his cup. Wolfgang followed suit, grimacing.

"Tastes like piss," he informed Felix, who chuckled.

"More?" Felix waved a hand at the fridge, "I have a whole case."

Wolfgang just grinned slightly and shook his head, "Kala would you like –" The rest of the question died away, as he looked down at her and saw her face wet with tears.

She shook her head.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, wiping her eyes. "I'm just going to-" and with that she quickly left the room, Wolfgang heard their hotel room door open and then slam closed.

Wolfgang and Felix stared at each other for a moment. Then Felix sighed and made an exasperated noise, "Well go after her! Jesus, have I taught you nothing about women?"

Slowly, he stood, "Are you sure you are ok with everything?"

Felix shrugged, "We can talk about it later, after you go check on Kala."

Wolfgang nodded, then made his way down the hall; a deep exhaustion seemed to come over him, weighing down his every step.

Kala was curled up on their bed; she peeked up at him through a curtain of hair, as he came in the room. "It just, with everything that has happened..." she tried to explain.

"Its ok, I understand."

She nodded then patted the space beside her, "Hold me? Just for a little while?"

Blinking past the sudden heaviness in his eyelids, Wolfgang nodded, and settled next to her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. A tickling, yawning sense of sleepiness was filling him in an oddly familiar way.

Blinking more rapidly he tried to fight it, he had to talk to Felix later, but the pull was irresistible. Why was he suddenly so tired?

Just as he was losing the battle to a warm and comforting unconsciousness, a flash of guilt from Kala gave the game away.

"Kala," he slurred, trying and failing to find his eyelids, "What did you do?"

She might have said something back, but it was lost to him as he spiralled, down, down into darkness.

*** *** ***

Wolfgang was finally asleep, uncharacteristically vulnerable looking, with his head resting on her on her shoulder. Her tears had dried on her cheeks, her face felt stiff and frozen. It had not been hard to convince Felix to help her. No, the hardest part had been controlling her thoughts around him.

As soon as they had decided to send one sensate to each facility she had known. As soon as it became clear that one of them would be flying to America, it became inevitable. Sure as the sun rises, Wolfgang would try to prevent her from going to Chicago. And with equal certainty she knew she must be the one to go.

Felix had been holding some sort of miniature guitar when she knocked on the door, and he had smiled genially, opening his mouth to greet her loudly before she shushed him, pushing past him into his room and indicating that he should shut the door.

Felix's expression grew grimmer and grimmer as Kala explained the situation to him. At last he sighed and rubbed his temples.

"Why the fuck are you telling me this?"

Kala looked down at her lap, and then met his eye, "Because you love him too, and you don't want anything to happen to him."

"So, you want me to help you drug him? Force him into relative safety against his will?"

"I want you to help me protect him, " Memories that were not hers, memories of a younger Felix brandishing a length of metal pipe, a glass bottle, flickered across her mind. "Like you have protected him before."

Felix considered it briefly; "He is going to kill me if you get hurt." Kala didn't say anything she just continued to look steadily at him. "Fine," Felix sighed again, "What do you need?"

Pausing to make sure she had a firm handle on her thoughts, Kala considered, and then started listing out items, efficiently clearing a space on Felix's desk.

He watched her with growing astonishment as she used the edge of an ice bucket to crush up some of Felix's prescription sleeping pills, a pad of hotel paper with a number of dosage calculations beside her.

Minutes later, she was handing him an envelope with the powdered pills inside. "Make sure you pour it in first, then the drink. It will have to be something coloured and strong tasting. I will do my best to block what you are doing from Wolfgang's line of sight."

Felix nodded still looking somewhat dumbfounded.

Kala nodded and then made for the door.

"Where are you going?" inquired Felix, just as she was reaching for the handle.

"A walk," Kala turned slightly, "That is what Wolfgang thinks I am doing right now."

Felix blinked, and Kala thought he wasn't going to say anything, but then in a tone that was almost respectful: "I think I may have underestimated you."

Kala felt a tiny smile cross her face, despite everything, and then left the room without another word, soundlessly closing the door.

She stroked her fingers through the fine blond strands of hair that were brushing her chin. Hadn't Wolfgang thought the same thing just a few weeks earlier? It was possible she had even underestimated herself; she knew she was determined, but this was a whole new level of deception for her.

He twitched reflexively against her, fingers flexing open and closed. If she reached out and touched his thoughts she knew they would be distant and meandering, tinged in the strange colour scheme of deep, barely remembered dreams. She did not reach out to him however, even though there was no risk of waking him. Her calculations were too precise for that to happen.

Instead she began to speak softly, as if he were awake, as if they were lying in her bed in Mumbai, or his in Berlin, or both at the same time.

"I feel like I owe you an apology," she began after a moment's thought. "I would be surprised if you forgave me after this, I know I wouldn't. I mean what sort of person slips sleeping pills into her partner's drink?" Wolfgang sighed as if in agreement.

"Well," Kala sighed breathing in deeply, gathering a protective layer of composure around her. "I suspect you would do that same it came down to it." Carefully she extricated herself from his limp embrace.

She looked down at him for a moment, feeling like some Bollywood villain. This was ridiculous; who did she think she was?

The moment was now, the moment to lean over his prone body and whisper how much she loved him, how this was all for him, but the words caught in her throat.

This didn't feel like an act of love.

So she merely leaned down and kissed him on the forehead. It would be silly to say goodbye, he would wake in a few hours anyways, groggy and likely absolutely furious.

Furious, but too late, she would already be gone.

Nomi was waiting for her out in the hall. She didn't meet Kala's eye, but as they walked together to the car waiting outside the hotel she squeezed her shoulder.

"That wasn't the right thing to do," said Kala, softly once they were out of the earshot of the receptionist.

"No," replied Nomi.

"But it is what is best strategically."

Nomi hesitated then nodded. She was looking strangely at Kala, as if expecting her to start crying again. Kala only gave her a sad smile. The consequences of what she had would no doubt be detrimental. But at least he was safe. At least he wouldn't be facing Whispers unprotected.

Letting out a soft sigh as the car pulled smoothly away from the curb, Nomi commented; "You two make one fine mess."

Kala had to agree.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And things are in motion! I have a very busy week but I will try to get the next chapter up by Friday at the latest. Thank you for reading :)


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22:

A small plane with an unfamiliar logo on the side was waiting for her exactly where Dr. Gallo had promised.

It was modest looking; small with sets of seats that faced each other, tired looking white paneling and smiling assistant waving her on board. In happier times she would have found the whole experience amusing. She might have called Daya and jokingly bragged about becoming a snob. However, as things currently stood, Kala reminded herself, forcing the thought past the lump in her throat, calling Daya would only do more harm. The awful realization that she might never see her baby sister again nearly made her turn back, or at least stumble to her knees and beg for some sort of mercy.

She did neither. Instead she nodded politely at the attendant, keeping her feelings tightly under control, and climbed through the narrow cockpit.

It took her a minute, in her distracted state, to realize the plane was not quite as private as she had thought.

A kindly looking woman, plump, with dark blonde hair showing just a few streaks of grey, and wearing the most outrageously colourful sweater Kala had ever seen was ensconced in one of the seats.

Their eyes met and Kala stumbled slightly, falling back against a set of luggage compartments. Her thoughts, dark and tangled were instantly overcome with a wash of warmth and safety, all tinged with a little careworn sadness and stubbornness. She blinked at the unfamiliar sensation, as the strange presence imbedding itself in her brain. It was a singularly unnerving feeling to suddenly know, with just a second of eye contact, so much about a person. Kala was instantly thrown back to the first hallucinogenic apparitions of Angelica after her second birth.

"Marie," Kala breathed, when the feeling had passed.

"Kala," Marie smiled, and gestured to the seat across from her. "It is so nice to meet you! I'm sorry I didn't warn you, I rather didn't expect to be here at all."

Kala complied, feeling the soft leather seat compress under her weight. They eyed each other up for a moment, the atmosphere suddenly awkward. Or at least it felt that way to Kala; Marie kept on smiling warmly.

"How did you get here so fast?" said Kala when the silence began to stretch thin.

"I came to help Izzy," explained Marie, pulling out a pair of plastic knitting needles from a quilted bag, "She is, as you know, being hunted by some of Whispers cronies."

"She must not have liked that," commented Kala, who with her new insight into Maries consciousness, knew the answer to that question before the older woman even answered. The impetus behind Dr. Gallo's sudden generosity was becoming clear.

"I am stuck on a plane headed back to North America," commented Marie dryly, "And she is going to Iceland as we speak." She winked subtly, "Misguided ideas about keeping me safe."

Kala lowered her eyes guiltily, and sunk further into her seat. Did all sensates posses such an affinity for self-sacrificing behavior? Unbidden, Whisper's fishy, cold, gaze floated into her memory. Perhaps not.

"Thank you," she said at last, reaching out and gently taking Marie's hand in hers. "Thank you for everything."

The older woman beamed at her, "No worries, dear." She squeezed Kala's hand and returned to her knitting. All was quiet except the clacking of needles and the hum of the plane's engines starting. Marie waited until she had worked up a nice rhythm to speak again. "We have some stake in the issue at hand too,"

"I know," replied Kala hastily, "but still –"

"More than just that of kinship, or species-ship if you like," continued Marie kindly, "Izzy wouldn't be the sort to tell you of course, but we actually lived together in that part of San Francisco for some time, many years ago."

Kala gaped a little, "Really?" She tried to picture a domestic version of Dr. Gallo and failed spectacularly. For some reason, the image of her brandishing two metal rods crackling with electricity at Wolfgang's helpless form was Kala's more prevalent memory of the professor.

"Mmhm," Marie unfurled a more yarn, "Back in our late twenties, as she was getting used to being blind." Her eyes got a little misty and she turned her gaze to the window, "It was a very passionate time for the both of us."

Kala choked a little, but managed to turn it into a cough. Now that she really did not want to picture. Marie seemed unaffected by her discomfort, or perhaps lost in reminisces.

"So you see," she finally continued, briskly pulling herself together and finishing her line of stitches, "Whispers unknowingly pissed us off too with his little stunt."

She dug around in the large quilted bag again, before bringing out a Tupperware, "Shortbread?"

*** *** *** 

Consciousness came to Wolfgang much slower than rage. By the time he had managed to shake off the drowsiness and disorientation caused by whatever the fuck Kala had put in his drink he was practically vibrating in fury.

An angry bust of energy suddenly had him sitting bolt upright, swaying slightly, vertigo threating to take him.

"Hey, hey," came Felix's voice from the other corner of the room. "Easy, take it slow or you are going to hurt yourself."

Wolfgang blinked hard and Felix resolved in his sleep-blurred vision, leaning back into the armchair by the window.

"What the fuck?" asked Wolfgang succinctly.

Felix did not reply right away. Wolfgang wondered to what extent his voice was betraying the fight for control he was currently losing. Kala was no longer hiding her thoughts from him; he knew exactly what part Felix had played in this.

"What the fuck did you think you were doing?" he demanded again, when Felix said nothing.

His friend had the sense to look wary, "Look, she came and talked to me, we both agreed it was too dangerous for you."

"To dangerous?" repeated Wolfgang, his tone now low and deadly. "To dangerous? But you let her go? You FUCKING IDIOT!"

His voice had risen to shout, panic now singing through him; but she was already gone. Of course. She had timed the dosage perfectly, giving him the maximum amount of time to recover, but ensuring he woke up too late to stop her.

Wolfgang turned and aimed a fist squarely at the wall beside him, leaving a sizable dent.

Felix blinked, "Wolfie, calm down, she is going to be ok, I have been talking to Julia's friend – Nomi – I think her name was, they have a really promising sounding plan."

"I know what the plan is," growled Wolfgang, "I came up with it."

"Nothing is going to happen," said Felix attempting to be soothing.

"Get out," replied Wolfgang, feeling his rage and fear settle ice cold into his veins. He got up, gritting his teeth at the wave of nausea that spread through him. "Get out."

"Wolfie..."

"You are supposed to be my brother," spat Wolfgang, trying and likely failing to keep the note of betrayal out if his voice. "How could you do this?"

"Because sometime you act like you have a fucking death wish!" yelled Felix, finally moved to anger. "Because you cannot accept that other people love you and want to look out for you."

Unintentionally Wolfgang recoiled, somewhat shocked.

He and Felix hadn't had a fight for over three years; he had rarely seen him this angry. Usually they would just knock over some furniture, maybe avoid each other for a few hours, and then go get drinks.

Then again, he had always taken Felix with him on his more stupid stunts. At least that way they could get killed together. Like that fucking diamond heist. That worked out well.

They stared at each other for a long moment then Felix made a noise of disgust and turned away. What had he done last time they fought? The memory was so distant, hidden under happier reminisces. His arms and legs felt rather disconnected as he watched his friend leave, the distance between then expanding unsteadily.

A curious sort of ache settled behind his eyes that had little to do with the drugs he had been on, when Felix didn't look back. It was impossible to suppress a wince at the harsh slam of the door as it closed.

The room was untidy, curtains drawn, Wolfgang suddenly felt unbearably trapped. If he tried he would be able to smell Kala's shampoo, the rich scent of cigarettes that lingered behind Felix.

Gear littered all the available surfaces, takeout containers, empty boxes and instruction manuals filled the rest. The exception was the table Felix had been sitting beside. There was a clear spot in the shape of Kala's backpack. His own backpack was sitting beside the gap, neatly packed with the plane ticket printed out on top.

How very like her to do that.

For a brief moment he considered confronting her, she was just sitting on the plane now, anxiously reviewing their plan over and over again. Her lips were softly forming the words of a prayer. One he hadn't heard before, but of course knew every word to.

The dent in the wall caught his eye. He swallowed. Anger was fading to be replaced by a spiraling sense of revulsion.

He was very familiar with the way drywall looked after someone had taken a fist to it. It was one of the more predictable patterns in life; the curiously pointed divot surrounded by hairline cracks radiating outward like wayward streams. Jagged fissures split the paint, ones that were only visible from very close up.

It was pathetic; this was one of his only abiding memories of East Berlin, the holes in his bedroom wall. Not his mother, smiling her rare, wide-mouthed smile. The one that made her eyes scrunch up in the corners; just like his. Not the grim monotony of the grey crumbing buildings, or the occasional food shortages.

Just the holes. One for every swing Wolfgang had been stupid enough to dodge. Ones for the times his father missed, too drunk to aim. Holes for the punches intended for his mother he had failed to take. Hits thrown over and over again until the wall was pockmarked with them.

At night, the scattered light from the broken down streetlamps would fill them, and he would imagine they were asteroid impacts.

Cautiously he ran a finger down the undamaged space surrounding the dent. He had things to do, a plane to catch, yet somehow he felt stuck; as if he had been buried in half dried concrete.

Wolfgang never invited friends over, never. Kids were stupid, but they had an unerring tendency to see too much.

Felix was the first... He quickly averted his eyes.

No. It would do no good to visit her, the best thing he could do was get the job done.

Gathering up his backpack and ticket, Wolfgang left the room without a second look.

*** *** ***

It was all in order. Of course it was. She had checked it a million times. Kala fidgeted hopelessly in her chair while Marie watched with mild amusement and no small amount of sympathy.

"Sorry," muttered Kala to Marie, when she realized she was drumming her fingers loudly on the arm of her seat again.

"It's ok," said Marie placidly, still knitting steadily, "I'm quite nervous too."

Kala eyed her dubiously; it was hard to gage Marie's mental space even with the new connection between them. It was nowhere near as intense as the one she shared with the rest of the cluster.

"It shouldn't be too dangerous, though, right?" worried Kala, "For everyone else?"

"Wherever Whispers is the most danger is," confirmed Marie, "But you cannot forget that he has more than one body at his disposal."

Coldness spread through Kala's veins, she had forgotten about that momentarily. He could have 'bodies' strategically placed anywhere. Her gut twisted anxiously again. Nomi, who was also sitting on a plane, albeit a much larger one, shared her concern.

They had mixed luck when it came to identifying sensates that BPO had operated on outside of America. Nomi had found at least six lobotomized survivors scattered all around the world, but she was certain she was missing some.

Kala could only hope this wouldn't come back to bite them.

As she thought this, Nomi visited her briefly to squeeze her hand. She was pining for Amanita who would be staying in Mexico with Hernando, as Lito made his way to the BPO facility in Columbia.

Unsurprisingly, Amanita and Hernando got on instantly. Kala knew this was source of relief for both Lito and Nomi. Both had been in a state of frantic distraction and paranoia since joining up only a few days ago outside Mexico City. It would hit eventually, Kala supposed, the reality that Lito and Nomi had finally met. There would be time for long talks and happy moments. Or at least she hoped there would be. However, the present moment, ruthless as it was, did not leave too much time for such things.

In the white noise caused by the plane engines, her thoughts inevitably turned to Wolfgang, as they had been over and over for the last few hours. Ever since he woke up filled with such a rage that she had been clenching her fists and gritting her teeth without realizing it, she had wanted to reach out to him. She wished she could find some way to sooth his thoughts as he left the hotel room, avoiding looking at the hole his fist had left in the wall, but somehow she knew that would not help. There was no way to fight that battle for him.

Even after he had calmed down, he refused to respond to her, keeping his mind cold and focused, counting over and over in his head and cranking up the radio if she pushed a little harder. That was a trick he hadn't pulled since he had killed his uncle.

She hated to think what that meant.

Marie drew her out of her thoughts with a gentle touch. Kala blinked at her, and then remembered, she was now privy to some of her feelings. A slight warmth suffused her cheeks.

The older woman eyed her up for a long time, and for the briefest moment Kala was reminded of Dr. Gallo, but then Marie smiled and the resemblance was gone.

"Can't sleep?'

Kala shook her head.

Nodding as if this was to be expected, Marie dug around in her bag and pulled out a ball of yarn and a pair of knitting needles. The yarn was a rich buttery yellow: Kala's favourite colour. She opened her mouth to ask how she knew, but shut it as Marie winked and tossed the ball to her.

"It helps me with stress," she explained, " I always get restless hands when I'm nervous, used to shred up paper and stuff until I learned how to knit, Izzy accused me of being part hamster."

A tense giggle escaped Kala, "I do the same thing." She looked at the little ball sitting on her lap, "You are going to have to teach me."

"Not a problem," replied Marie, smiling serenely. "You will pick it up very quickly I am sure, I always find the more nervous I am the faster I knit."

Eight hours later, when Kala awoke as the aircraft make its final approach, blinking in the unexpected sunlight, Marie would be proved right, yet again. Her fingers ached from tension and the unfamiliar motion of holding knitting needles, but her mind somewhat clearer.

Nomi, as per the plan, had already landed. Riley was in Portugal, checked into a scuzzy hotel room, posing as a student touring Europe. With her so far away from Will, the loss of connection was absolute, aching.

With a crackle the Bluetooth earpiece in Kala's right ear came to life, phone buzzing in her pocket until Kala clicked the 'answer' button and Julia's voice filled her ear.

"Testing, testing," Julia even sounded tenser than usual, "Please tell me this is working."

"I hear you," answered Nomi. Lito echoed her sentiment moments later, haltingly in English, followed by Capheus, voice crackling with poor reception. Sun gave a sort of resigned whisper.

She had been adamant on helping out, but given her complete inability to even walk in a straight line, the cluster had refused. This had gone about as smoothly as one would expect.

"All set," replied Kala and after a flickering thought from Marie, she added, "And so is Dr. Gallo."

Marie nodded approvingly; Kala sensed that she and Dr. Gallo were walking hand in hand to the facility, Marie softly guiding her over the rough terrain. She didn't know what kind of plan they had set up, but she would bet it had something to do with the large briefcase Dr. Gallo was holding in her free hand.

It was a different feeling, visiting with Marie, one Kala did not feel at all in control of. Looking at Marie's serene expression, she was reminded again, that in terms of being a sensate, she was only a child.

Who knew what she would be capable of in twenty years? What they would be capable of? Of course, she reminded herself, that was assuming today went well.

A constriction seemed to develop in her throat.

The line just buzzed for a moment and then Kala's chest did a funny sort of jump at Wolfgang's flat answer, the first words he had spoken in hours. Riley answered last, and it was her who asked tentatively, "Can you hear us Will?"

"Loud and clear," came the familiar voice, and Kala let out a sigh of relief with the rest of the cluster.

There were a lot of things that they wanted to say in that moment, things that they couldn't really communicate, because he wasn't really with them. It felt strange to hear his voice, disconnected from thought. Dr. Gallo's drug had done its job well and truly for the moment.

Capheus that finally managed to put words to their mess of emotions, "It is good to have you back, brother," he said simply, warmth echoing through the phone line.

"Is it all set on your end?" asked Nomi briskly, already settling into the rapport that they had established in Iceland.

"Ready and awaiting your command," said Will with only a hint of irony.

There was a pause. Will wouldn't know it, but they were all waiting tensely now. The pieces were set. Kala was drawing in slow deep breaths, sitting in the back seat of large white van, pulling up to a gated facility the streets of Chicago passing her by. Only to be replaced for a moment only, with cool air, and the sensation of forcing her lungs into a measured rhythm, in the cover of partial darkness, the soft nonsensical voices of guards speaking in Norwegian washing over her ears.

And then she returned to herself, listening to the voices in her earpiece.

Capheus was confirming the plan, tucked in the passengers seat of a delivery truck, dressed in dark blue scrubs, Marie's friend white-knuckled at the wheel navigating through Shanghai's nighttime traffic. Riley was all in black, casting a hesitant look at Dr. Gallo's brother whose bland face was even more still than usual, crouched beside her coiled like a cat about to spring, somewhere in Portugal. Lito was pulling up to the Columbian facility, practicing vocal exercises, caught in-between lush green forests and barren industrial lots, in a broken down Honda.

This would be another ideal time for a speech, thought Kala. But no one, not even Lito seemed up to it. Finally, to her surprise, Wolfgang broke the silence:

"Good luck," he said quietly, voice echoing through the phone line.

With that she felt him withdraw again, keeping just close enough to allow them to see the blue floodlights in the empty BPO parking lot. Kala returned her focus to her breathing, it would seem that would be all she would hear from him. Her throat ached with an indeterminate load of emotions, but there was no time for such things.

The Chicago BPO facility was unassuming, blue glass and grey brick like all the buildings beside it and with a minimalist sign outside of the main doors. Kala only had a momentary glimpse of those, however, as the van drove around the building and pulled up to the back reception bay.

Reflexively, she reached for the pouch on her arm where a loaded syringe of blocking drug was concealed.

Getting her here had been the trickiest part.

It was Nomi that had come up with this solution; a van rented from one of Bug's friends, freshly painted to look like one of BPO's regular suppliers and Bug himself sitting in the front seat posing as a deliveryman.

Kala wasn't sure how she felt about Nomi's friend but it hadn't mattered much. Her state of distraction had been so extreme since arriving in Chicago she had barely heard a word the man had said to her in his nearly constant stream of commentary since they had met. She suspected he might be hitting on her, but for all the attention she was paying he could have been speaking a foreign language. Well, he was speaking a foreign language but... Kala took another deep breath.

The grey concrete blurred before her eyes and she had the disorientating experience of seeing the same building at a different angle from Nomi's eyes. Nomi had her earpiece in one ear, Amanita on the phone in the other ear. Kala, settled beside her in the back seat of the taxi carefully measured the syringe of medication that Dr. Gallo had sent Nomi; she should only need a few minutes, if all went well, but it was better to play it safe.

Nomi's voice cracked with emotion as she whispered something to her girlfriend and Kala tried to remain distant to give them their privacy. The click of the call ending ran out with a certain finality. Dropping her gaze, Nomi tried for some composure.

The taxi dropped Nomi off a few buildings down from their target, out of the scope of the security cameras mounted about the perimeter of the building, and pulled away. Kala got out with her, standing in the slender shadow cast by her cluster mate. She supposed it would have looked odd to a casual passerby, the tall figure cut by Nomi, dressed in her usual practical Converse and worn plaid, a stark red streak amid the sunbaked pavement and the towering, impersonal buildings.

Nomi closed her eyes for a moment, then reached out and took the needle from Kala; when she did her hands only shook a little.

"I sure hope this works," she asked unnecessarily.

"Me too," replied Kala, she gestured at the needle, "Do you want me to?"

"No," Nomi, tried for a weak smile, "I will do it."

Kala reached out and impulsively hugged her. The plan all hinged on this moment. It was a lot of weight to bear.

"See you soon," whispered Nomi, looking around furtively before slipping her arm out of its sleeve and injecting the syringes contents into her arm. She slipped the used needle into a special section of her backpack.

As she returned to the van, Kala felt connection to Nomi stop.

It happened just as suddenly as she had felt it with Wolfgang during the test of her drug: the very clean snap and then ringing silence. A dull ache started in all of their chests. Kala took another deep breath.

Bug was talking to someone, a guard of some sort.

Without even realizing it she began to pray. Would they want credentials from Bug? Would they buy his story?

There was a long pause.

Then some indistinct voices and the van lurched into motion. Kala breathed a sigh of relief.

Bug's voice filtered back to her, "Tapped into the cameras now if you wanna to look."

An open laptop was thrust into the cargo area where she was crouching; Kala caught it barely and stared at the grainy screen.

A blurry black and white version of Nomi approached the front doors, then paused. The crackling noise indicated she had placed her active earpiece in her pocket.

Tension coiled tighter in Kala's stomach.

She was so tightly wound she nearly let out a shriek of surprise when Nomi's voice issued through the speakers on the laptop as she began to speak into a phone raised to her ear.

"I am here, just like you asked, please don't hurt anyone else."

"Good," replied Whispers, his voice audible too. And Kala saw the white haired man coming out of the front doors of the building flanked by guards.

Two very conflicting emotions rose in her: fear because she was hiding only meters away from him, and bone deep relief. She had done the right thing, he was here; Wolfgang was safe in Norway.

Nomi had not looked up in response to Whispers presence; she instead kept her face pointed at the pavement. They were going to try and hide the effects of the drug as long as possible.

"I am not going in there," said Nomi staring at the ground, she was wearing a baseball cap - somewhat fittingly advertising the Chicago Cubs, "I have come to negotiate."

There was a somewhat surprised silence from Whispers. Good, thought Kala, they wanted to confuse him. When Nomi had contacted him yesterday, just before leaving Brazil, she had made it seem as if she were acting against the will of the rest of the cluster. As if she were making a purely emotional decision.

"Go time," hissed Bug. Kala nodded.

She felt someone's hands squeeze hers comfortingly, large hands, warm and steady. But her heart sank a little when she realized they were just Lito's. She immediately felt guilty for that thought.

The van door slid open soundlessly, Kala slipped out into the cargo bay, carrying a clipboard and a medium sized box. She was dressed in a set of blue coveralls, Lito forced her cheeks into a convincing smile and nodded at a bored looking foreman.

No one stopped her.

She was in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi. Sorry for the impromptu hiatus. I am back now, and the rest of the fic is written! Next chapter up on Sunday!


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23:

Nomi's voice crackled through his earpiece, as Wolfgang slipped over the chain-link fence nimbly. There was a trick to the whole thing; scaling the fence without getting cut. He was dressed in black, nearly invisible in the shadow except the green display of his watch. The timer on it was counting down from the moment Nomi had started talking to Whispers.

Grim satisfaction filled him at the thought of how Whisper's face would look when he finally grew tired of Nomi's stalling. When he realized her mind was shut to him.

Will interrupted his thoughts, "You doing ok?"

Wolfgang bit back the slight twinge of irritation at being looked after like a child, "Yes, why?"

Will seemed oblivious to any irritation he felt, "Just checking up, Julia tells me this was one of the lower security ones, but still."

Lower security.

Yes, he had noticed that too, which was why he had been so dead set on Kala going to this one where she would have been relatively safe.

That had worked out well.

When he had found what Kala had done, he had wanted to separate himself from her, to find some way to make himself disinterested in her actions and their consequences. After all, this was her choice, and at this point there was fuck all he could do about it.

It had been his intention to use the flight and hour-long train ride out to the industrial district outside of Oslo as a purge of a sort. To focus and refine his thoughts, to place himself in the pragmatic mindset he had mastered over the course of his many jobs for Sergi. To regain the kind of attitude that allowed him to kill without a second thought.

But he couldn't do it, it was as if that part of him had broken off somehow, and was rattling around, irretrievable in the recesses of his brain. It had been replaced with stinging betrayal, and more than a little self-doubt.

Yes, he had wanted to be distant, take the space to recover his dignity, but it was proving impossible. He could feel her every breath in his lungs, the sheen of sweat accumulating on her palms. The strong emotions of the cluster were drawing each member closer and closer together. The best he could do was silence; prevent himself from talking to her.

The fence clinked softly in the light breeze as he let himself drop the last few meters to the other side.

Focus.

Wolfgang crouched down, concealing himself in shadow as he sized up the situation. The window he had planned to enter through was on the third floor, overtop of a set of dumpsters.

It was a bit of an awkward climb, but he had timed it so the guards patrolling the premises were on the opposite side of the building. Should be a simple break in and quick exit. That was, of course, assuming no one got caught sneaking into a higher security facility anywhere else in the world. The one in Chicago, for example.

Nomi's voice continued in his ear. She was doing an admirable job of stalling for time, but Whispers was beginning to get impatient. The cold British voice replying to her was giving him shivers.

Keeping low to the ground, Wolfgang traversed the last few meters between the fence and the window and began to climb.

Light-footed steps resonated in his periphery as Capheus slipped into a similarly deserted area surrounding his facility, making for a set of rickety looking stairs up to the roof. Marie had much more information on the China facility, including a rough floor plan. Capheus was curiously calm, singularly focused on preventing the creaky metal stairs from alerting the oblivious guards below. Wolfgang envied him for a moment.

Digging in his backpack, precariously perched on the window frame. Wolfgang applied a crow bar to the window and after a few well-placed shoves, managed to lever it open. Marie's research had indicated that this facility held patients that acted as a front for BPO's activities, and most of the rooms were empty. Still, he had taken the precaution of hiding his face and wearing thick nitrile gloves.

The space was indeed pitch black and dead silent when he slipped in. Wolfgang took that as good sign and slid the black mask into a more sound position on his face.

Whisper's voice, suddenly increasing volume and proximity in his ear made him freeze for a moment, before he remembered he was thousands of miles away. Taking measured breaths, he continued on his way down a generic blue hallway, dimly lit and deathly quiet.

Kala was no longer watching the screen so he couldn't see what was going on, but Nomi's friend Bug was keeping up a steady commentary through his earpiece.

"Oh shit, he is pissed, he just got some dudes to pin her up against a car door. Scary bastard," came Bug's voice.

Wolfgang resisted the temptation to roll his eyes.

There would be security cameras outside of the admin offices where he was headed. He knew from the hours of surveillance he had put in before darkness fell that there would be one guard watching these. Wolfgang checked his watch. The guard was an inconvenience, but one he knew how to deal with. Five counts and...

"Shit." mumbled Bug in his ear, "He is just staring at her right in the eyes like some pervert or some shit."

Four.

Nomi's line crackled and flickered; she must have taken a direct hit to the chest, something that damaged the earpiece.

"Guys, she is getting dragged into building, should I do something?" Bug sounded vaguely panicky.

Three.

"Guys?"

Two.

There it was faintly now, but getting stronger, the sound he had been hoping they would hear.

One.

Sirens screamed in his ear, crackling wildly. Wolfgang let out a small, victorious smile as Diego's voice, uncharacteristically authoritative, came through loud and clear in Nomi's damaged earpiece.

"Sir, I am going to have to ask that you let that woman go, you are both wanted for questioning by the Chicago Police Department."

There was a deadly silence, interrupted by the wailing of Diego's sirens.

A sudden screech made Wolfgang wince and paw at his ear, as the rest of the feed cut out, but it didn't matter; she was safe.

A muffled explosion pulled him back to his own location.

The windows lining the hall beside him were momentarily illuminated, and he could see the figures of guards running across the parking lot towards the far end of the neighbouring parking garage. Flames were emanating from the lower levels, right where he had rigged a car to explode.

The office door was easy to pick, and in moments he was sitting in front of a safe while the manager's computer booted up.

A laptop that Nomi had insisted he buy sat open beside him. The safe was some Norwegian brand, one he didn't recognize, but on inspection it appeared to be pretty standard, fire resistant and small; the kind used to store external hard drives.

The manager's computer whirred to life and Wolfgang turned, following Nomi's instructions to the letter, connecting the laptop to the desktop and activating some program that she had written. Both devices started to hum; Wolfgang took this as a good sign.

Settling into a comfortable sitting position, he cracked his fingers, feeling a familiar sense of focus steal over him. In a perverse way, he had missed this.

Impressions from the rest of the cluster washed over him, but this time they made no lasting impact. Lito was sweet talking someone, dressed in some sort of janitor's clothes yet somehow still managing to be charming. Capheus was slipping into a service corridor. Riley and Dr. Gallo's brother were on the roof, for some reason.

Wolfgang did not pursue it further, he was in a space that was all his own.

But then there was Kala.

She was very nervous, walking with false conviction down a hallway, a cap lowered over her face, heading for the stairs. His chest gave a little convulsive twinge of fear; but if Diego had Whispers, she shouldn't be in much danger.

Like the comforting ticking of a clock, the syringe on her arm bumped against her with every step.

The safe, pliant under his hands, clicked open. There was a slew of papers inside, and nestled at the back, the sleek grey shape of an external hard drive.

Wolfgang sighed in relief.

*** *** ***

Minutes later, Wolfgang was sweating in the blistering Columbian heat, as he used Lito's fingers to unlock the second safe. He had no idea how Lito had so effectively managed to charm his way into the main office, but he was starting to think he had underestimated him. The man himself was lounging in the manager's chair, a laptop rigged in exactly the same way as Wolfgang's humming beside him.

There was a soft click and the safe door sprung open. Wolfgang returned to Norway to look around furtively, still no sign of the guards, and then passed Lito a file folder full of papers and a second hard drive.

"Juila?" he asked softly, "Did you get into the system?"

"Yeah," she sounded vaguely distracted, "Hang on, I looked up your undifferentiated lobe whatsit, and it looks all squeaky clean, nothing in the main system that I can tell."

"And the hard drive?" Wolfgang had plugged it into his laptop as soon as he had opened the safe. Nomi had pointed out that as they were breaking into numerous secure facilities for this information, they might as well make sure it was the right stuff.

"Hang on," Julia muttered, "Encryption is next level, I will need more time. But I guess that is enough proof; no one would bother with this much security if it wasn't illegal. Or some weird-ass porn..." she added thoughtfully.

Wolfgang ignored this.

Checking the empty hallway again, he visited Capheus who was tucked in the corner of a supply closet listening to the clomp of booted feet passing by. Distantly, a fire alarm was ringing. Sun was there too, dizzy and indistinct, but with enough protective rage to make up for both of those things. Wolfgang figured that she would call him if they needed more help.

Riley also seemed to be in good hands, they had also gotten to the safe in the empty managers office, dimly lit by a few florescent lights from the hall. Riley was dressed in a guards uniform and holding a handgun in front of her. There was a nasty bruise starting on her left cheek but other than that she looked unharmed. Dr. Gallo's brother was kneeling before the safe, twisting the knob confidently. Wolfgang only needed to look once to confirm he knew what he was doing.

Ex-military? What kind of military taught safecracking?

Wolfgang shrugged to himself, likely another mystery he didn't want to solve. Riley, who was casting nervous glances at the man every few minutes seemed to agree.

That only left Kala.

She had also used the fire alarm strategy, pulling it just after Diego rolled up. Most of the employees seemed to be grateful for the excuse to watch the drama unfolding between their boss and the cop up close and personal instead of sneaking glances out the windows. The ringing was deafening in Kala's ears as she locked herself in the office that so clearly belonged to Whispers that it actually sent tingles of fear crawling up her spine. This safe was in the wall, tucked behind a painting.

Without a word, Wolfgang reached for her, trying to control her hands without touching her mind. It was difficult, but he managed, and had the disconnected feeling of watching her move like a puppet with his thoughts.

The comforting scent of her hair filled his nose and suddenly control became a lot more difficult. This was an intimate act with her in the way it hadn't been with Lito. The visual of her slender fingers steady on the door of the safe was disconcerting. An uncomfortable silence grew between them as he fumbled at the lock. He was being childish; he knew that. She had only done what she thought was best.

That didn't change the situation.

It took twice as long to unlock the safe as it should have. His traitorous body kept fixating on little details of her appearance, the shape of her jaw where it met her neck. And of course, like a drumbeat in the back of his mind, the knowledge that she was in danger, pounded out over and over again. That he might never see her again.

He disengaged himself from her body as quickly as possible; careful not to pull her away from Chicago, to make sure her attention was undivided. He felt her call out to him as he left, but mentally he shook her off. Just get the job done. Just get the job done, and get her home where he could yell at her and then hold her for a very long time.

The earpiece crackled, bringing him to attention. Wolfgang sighed expecting another check in from Will, but then froze in surprise, as Diego's voice came through.

"We have a problem." Diego sounded shaken; "I couldn't get Dr. Matheson into custody."

A horrible prickle, a premonition, itched along Wolfgang's spine.

"What?" snapped someone (possibly him).

"Never seen anything like it, he must have had mad connections, guards called someone up and before I knew it I had the Police Chief on my ass telling me to report back to station immediately."

Wolfgang was frozen, waiting.

"Did you get Nomi?" asked Lito, who was sneaking down an empty hallway backpack in hand.

"Yeah, she is in the back, seems a bit shaken, they roughed her up good" Diego paused as if inspecting someone, and then Nomi's voice came through, both the phone line and then, to their relief the connection.

"I am ok guys. But Whispers went back into the facility."

Kala.

Soundlessly he packed up the laptop, files and hard drive. He had been in the facility for nearly 45 minutes, long enough for the guards to return to their stations. He would just have to hope they weren't watching the cameras too closely.

*** *** ***

Kala should have left. The fire alarm had stopped ringing, the office would be flooding with people, Whispers was likely storming the building this very second.

But she hesitated, there was still the unanswered question: What Whispers had been up to here the whole time? What was hidden in this facility?

The syringe and its comforting weight bounced against her arm.

She supposed she was scared, but all she could feel was numbness, like she was moving through some sort of quicksand, or sprinting in a dream.

The sound of an eerily familiar voice had her ducking into a nearby closet.

Footsteps clicked on the shiny white tiles beside the door. Kala clutched at the needle keeping her eyes lowered.

The voice echoed again, loudly and Kala realized it was Whispers over the intercom, he sounded furious.

"Return to work immediately, fire chief reports all clear. The alarm is being investigated as we speak. Management, please report to room 3054. Guards, report, is level zero secure? Repeat is level zero secure? Commence with relocation protocol."

And with that the clicking sound of footsteps continued. Kala remained frozen, thinking. Level zero. That was likely one of the sub basements if this place was laid out anything like how Rasal Pharmaceuticals was. It was also the ideal place to hide something. Classic really.

Kala looked down at herself. She was still dressed in coveralls, she could easily claim to have gotten lost.

She just needed a quick look.

She reached for the door handle, mind made up. A combination of concern and curiosity from the cluster hummed in the back of her mind. She could almost feel Wolfgang's jaw twitching in displeasure. Ever since Diego had failed to capture Whispers, he had drawn closer to her.

Given his staunch dedication to silence, she wasn't sure if that was an unconscious move or a conscious one. Kala left the closet and made for the stairs opposite the direction Whispers came from, consulting the small map stuck to the wall.

Wolfgang's displeasure grew.

"I am going," she said unnecessarily for the most part, feeling the need to respond to his unspoken protest. "Whispers could have other sensates down there. If he moves them we could never find out what is going on."

"Kala..."

But she was already descending the last flight of stairs, sliding up to the door and placing an ear to it. The facility in general had been designed with that irritating modern tendency to place mirrored windows and glass dividers everywhere, but the architects seemed to have abandoned that schematic on the lower levels. Here the airy, open concept had been entirely replaced with grim grey concrete.

There was no sound from the other side of the door. Kala cracked it open and peaked inside. More concrete hallway, and doors at the end. There seemed to be some kind of computer system set up. Kala scanned for cameras but couldn't see any. Did you keep cameras in your secret lair?

"I don't know if this is a good idea," ventured Lito.

Kala ignored him and slipped into the hallway, no alarm bells announced her presence, just a rush of cool air, and the flickering of dim florescent lights. The computer was clearly some sort of a security system; Nomi appeared beside her and hit a few keys.

"Can you do it?" asked Kala.

Nomi bit her lip, then nodded. She was still crammed in the backseat of Diego's car, taking what he referred to as the scenic route to the police station, one that brought her to the airport and Dr. Gallo's waiting plane.

Kala stood by tensely, watching as Nomi swore and typed furiously. She had to stifle a gasp as Marie suddenly appeared beside her, then with a curious tugging sensation pulled her mind away from Chicago.

All throughout the course of her heist (for lack of a better word) she had been aware of Marie and Dr. Gallo in her periphery, preparing for their own infiltration. The Iceland facility had much better security now than the last time they had visited; numerous guards, all armed with very real looking guns standing by the door. It was an intimidating show of force, but Dr. Gallo, now smiling politely at the guards, raised her arms passively as they ran a metal detecting wand over her.

A hissing sound, one that had been growing in Kala's periphery intensified. For a moment she returned to Chicago, where Nomi was cursing under her breath. But the hall was dead silent.

Kala returned to Marie, who in turn was visiting Dr. Gallo. A coughing sound started up beside her. In amazement, Kala watched as the guards began to slowly crumple at her feet. Coolly disinterested, Dr. Gallo opened the briefcase and slipped on a gas mask, using the guard's key card to slip past the door. All around her people began to crumble.

"How?" stuttered Kala in amazement, now seated in some sort of hotel beside Marie; who was industriously typing away at a giant black laptop.

"Patience," the woman replied, giving her a tight smile. "I have a friend, one that specializes in vent work. He was willing to move to Iceland for a few years to support our cause. That's the problem with medical facilities,you see, all the air is filtered extensively, very little unmonitored flow in or out. The folks in South Africa are about to have the same problem."

"It won't kill them will it?" worried Kala.

"No, no," Marie chuckled, "Just a little nap."

"Nearly got it," interjected Nomi, and Kala returned to herself, back aching from being bent over the keyboard. Nomi stood beside her looking a little surprised.

"I didn't expect it to be that easy," she explained in response to Kala's questioning look.

Kala chewed her lip. That was never a good sign, but it was also quite possible that Nomi had underestimated her abilities. This was the woman that had hacked into a South Korean prison. Trap or not, Kala couldn't vary well ignore the fact this was the closest they had gotten to figuring out Whisper's plans.

"Dr. Gallo's about to get the hard drive," said Kala, for the benefit of the cluster, she had forgotten they couldn't see through Marie. It had almost been too easy for Dr. Gallo, who was now applying some sort of fast acting acid to the locking mechanism.

"We are clear," murmured Riley from the passenger seat, while Dr. Gallo's brother steered through crowded streets with steely precision. Capheus was still worming his way through a series of pipes and narrow hallways.

"I am nearly," chimed in Lito, who was approaching a portly man in a grease-stained set of coveralls. Kala grinned slightly as Lito erupted into a volley of insults about how he had expected more on his first day of work. The bewildered man, who insisted he could find no record of employment, watched resentfully as Lito threw up his hands and stormed out, declaring to all in the vicinity that he quit.

The door beside Kala gave a beep; she caught the handle and twisted, but then hesitated. What would she find on the other end? Bodies? Tortured sensates?

Nomi placed a hand on her shoulder, lending strength. Taking a deep breath Kala slipped through the door.

On first inspection, the room would appear to be a regular laboratory, dimly lit of course, and Kala didn't dare fumble around for a light switch, but normal.

It was only as she approached the lab bench, curiously that a slow creeping sense of horror began to grow. Large glass containers occupied the neat black countertops. Row after row, they glittered. As Kala approached them, she had to stifle a cry of horror; floating inside each jar, pale and gelatinous, was a human brain.

As a rule, Kala was not a squeamish person, she had dissected her fair share of animals and even a cadaver in the course of her schooling, so, no, it was not the brains themselves that disturbed her.

It was their very distinctive shape. A shape that would have made any neurologist sit up in curiosity; fused frontal lobes. Every one of these brains had belonged to a sensate.

Someone was breathing heavily, distantly she realized it was likely her. Kala firmly grasped the edge of the counter for support.

Footsteps were thudding in her ears, tapping irregularly. Was that a muted crash? Where was it coming from?

Just as she was recovering her physical senses, a noise directly behind her made the hairs on the back of her neck rise, coming somewhere from the shadowy depths of the lab.

Several things went wrong at once.

The clicking of Dr. Gallo's shoes, marking the sound of her exit, hard drive and all, reached the front entrance. Kala looked about hazily, as Marie stood beside her. All was going well, why was she here? Shouldn't she be in Chicago?

Looking about again, she felt an overwhelming sense of wrongness; everything was moving so slowly, why was Marie screaming?

The bang of a gun put everything instantly in perspective, the pieces of information whirring in Kala's brain aligning as Dr. Gallo turned too late, and in the wrong direction. She was thrown, briefcase and all, into a glass door, body twisting obscenely with the force of the bullet hitting it.

Marie must have still been screaming, but Kala didn't hear it. She just watched numbly, frozen, as Dr. Gallo's driver came and shot the guard, lifting her prone body. Blood was cascading down the back of her suit, Kala knew it was too late.

Distantly, she thought that she should do something.

But then she was distracted, pulled away by the only person right now that could separate her from Marie's agony.

Wolfgang was running silently down moonlit halls, slowing finally, to slip into the room he had entered from. The flickering light thrown off by the burning parking garage illuminated the room revealing that which he had not noticed the first time.

It was indeed a patient room. And all the beds were full. The reason he had not heard them was because they were motionless, unnaturally so, nearly comatose.

Or they had been.

The cluster watched, through Wolfgang's horrified eyes as one figure, a man in the bed in front of him began to rise.

Eyes gleaming in the half-light, face completely blank, and clad only in a hospital gown, the man slowly raised his fists.

The night was deadly still.

Thousands of kilometers away, meters below the ground, surrounded by concrete, the silence flowed around Kala, thick and deceptive. Flowing until it was interrupted.

Interrupted in the most unobtrusive fashion.

Just a soft click and a quiet beep.

The quiet sound of a laboratory door sealing shut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter on Thursday!


	24. Chapter 24

hapter 24:

In retrospect, it had been obvious.

Of course it was a trap. Kala supposed she had known, truth somewhere tucked in the back of her mind, before curiosity got the upper hand.

In an instant the division between her and and Wolfgang's minds, the one he had so carefully curated thus far, crumbled. As one they shifted their weight, becoming light on their feet, raising their fists.

There was a beat, the air heavy with danger.

Kala trembled involuntarily as a dark silhouette loomed over her.

Suddenly, hands roughly wrapped around her arms. At the same time Wolfgang ducked, neatly dodging a punch. The laboratory immediately became very full of the outlines of people dressed in HAZMAT suits. Kala let out an involuntary yelp as someone began to drag her away from the door.

The hands had her in an iron grip, and for a moment Kala struggled impotently. But her other self knew what to do, throwing her weight back without hesitation. Her foot found the groin of one of her attackers and she kicked hard.

The hands released her abruptly. Wolfgang directed a punch at the second figure, still sparsely illuminated in the dark laboratory.

Two more hard hits brought down the lobotomized sensate in Norway, but not the guard who swayed unsteadily in front of her. Kala let out an agonized gasp as she was suddenly thrown onto the floor, hard. A third guard had come up behind her, unseen.

There was a soft crunching sound.

The syringe, crushed beneath her arm, shattered.

Claustrophobia began to set in. Kala felt the precious liquid begin to soak into the arm of her coverall. The needle tip was still covered, completely useless to her now.

Wolfgang cursed.

Desperation made her kick out at the ankles of whoever was standing over her. A loud crash told her he had fallen and hit his head against the lab bench.

Only one figure remained standing, but as she struggled to her feet she was pulled away once more to Wolfgang, who was watching with dawning horror as the first man crumbled on the floor lost all animation, and the person in the bed next to him began to stir.

A girl, slight, young, with blonde hair streaming down her back sat up slowly.

Wolfgang froze.

"I can't." he murmured, shaking his head as if trying to escape a nightmare, even as she advanced on him, fists raised, her legs looking almost too skinny to support her.

"Steady," whispered Sun, and he felt her strength flow through him, warming his ice-cold body, and making his head throb.

"I can't," he repeated backing away now. Kala was struggling somewhere he needed to help her. But his calm had been irrevocably shaken.

Extreme pallor aside, she could have been anyone, someone's kid, like the ones playing on the street behind his flat, like Felix's little sister, watching him with wide blue eyes and pulling out the bows in her hair. Logically, he knew she wasn't, he knew this girl was long gone, and of all the crimes committed against her, his would be the least severe. But she was just a child. She was so small, fine boned, almost waif-like.

His hands fell to his side.

He couldn't.

"Go," said Sun, gritting her teeth as nausea washed over them and they fought double vision. "I have this."

"Sun..."

"Go!"

Wolfgang would have hesitated more under normal circumstances. But, with revulsion was rising in his throat, he saw the necessity of this arrangement. Without a word he escaped gratefully, closing his eyes as he left his body.

When he opened them a man was swinging at Kala, gloved fist heading straight for her face. Gritting their teeth, he braced himself for the blow. To his surprise it came off glancing, just knocking Kala's left shoulder where her coveralls were torn.

Instantly, his right fist rose and delivered a firm hit to the face hidden in the HAZMAT suit. Kala delivered a kick to the knees for good measure. Her field of vision was suddenly clear; the lab was filled with the outlines of unconscious bodies. There was no sound but her unsteady breathing. No motion but her shaking hands, now completely under her control.

*** *** ***

In Norway, Sun was staggering towards the window, and this time it was Wolfgang that steadied her, avoiding looking at the little body, now lying motionless on the floor.

Looking back, he saw a third figure rising, moving slowly, ominously across the room. Wolfgang increased his pace, wrenching open the window.

Without warning alarms started blaring.

*** *** *** 

There was something wrong with her arm, Kala thought, blinking hard as she tugged futilely at the locked door.

A trickle of cold numbness was spreading through her, making it hard to focus. She stumbled towards the dim light of a softly humming machine and looked down.

A half empty syringe was imbedded in her arm. Kala suddenly thought she might throw up.

Riley was beside her in an instant, steady fingers pulling the needle out of her arm and casting it aside.

"Some kind of sedative," muttered Kala, as the world began to tilt a little, "Shit."

Lito and Capheus caught her arms as she began to fall.

Lito and Capheus. Wolfgang.

Her cluster.

"I need up," she slurred, forcing her unstable legs to propel her away from the machine, she fell against a sink. "I need..."

A luridly yellow bottle of cleaning solution caught her eye as she began to slide down the cupboards. Clumsily, she reached for it.

Several large hazard symbols swam before her vision.

Perfect.

Riley caught on to her thought process, and opened it for her. Both their hands were shaking like leaves.

"Are you sure?" asked Lito anxiously. She felt his horror brushing against her like cobwebs, unbidden. Everyone felt very very far away.

"Beats the alternative," managed Kala.

Riley took a deep breath. Kala took the bottle.

She wished for a moment she could talk to Wolfgang. Then she could tell him that she loved him, and that she was sorry. See the exasperated concern in his eyes; memorize the blue in his irises. It all seemed so trivial now.

She wished she had called her family.

But, in the end what good would it do? The swimming unconsciousness promised by the drug was looming, her family was safer without her, and likely sleeping contentedly in their beds. Wolfgang was currently running for his life, alarms screaming in their ears.

With a convulsive twist of her wrist, Kala poured the contents of the container over her open eyes.

*** *** ***

Agony that was his and not his stabbed through his eye sockets, burning so badly he collapsed, meters away from his car.

Wolfgang shoved a hand in his mouth to stop the scream that was rising in his throat. Blinding white-hot pain shot through him, and he found himself praying, muttering nonsense, "-oh god please, oh god, just make it stop –"

And then it did.

*** *** ***

When she woke for a moment she was cocooned in an overwhelming feeling of safety, her head was resting on a warm, familiar chest and his arms wrapped tightly around her.

Then she opened her eyes. Or at least she tried to. Burning pain shot through her head, and there was only blackness when she managed to wrench her eyelids open. Instinctively she reached up to rub them, but Wolfgang caught her arms. She was handcuffed to something.

"Shh," his chest hummed against her back as she spoke, stroking a hand through her hair, although he was shaking behind her, feeling her pain. "They had you under that eye-wash thing for quite some time."

Kala reached for his mind, taking refuge in the soothing blues and greys that always permeated his thoughts. In a whisper, he explained to her what was happening.

The lab was illuminated brightly, no less gruesome under the sterile florescent glow. More people in HAZMAT suits were milling about, and there in the centre of it all, curiously observing the crushed remains of the blocking drug, was Whispers.

"He hasn't been doing anything, just watching," muttered Wolfgang. "They keep assuring him the blindness isn't permanent."

A mixture of relief and fear flooded her. Kala jerked suddenly, "Whispers! He knows you are in Norway, are you ok?"

"Yes," said Wolfgang smoothly, "I got away." She became aware of him crouching in the front seat of his car, parked on the side of the road. Several sets of headlights began to draw nearer.

"Wolfgang."

"Don't worry, I have it handled."

"I am sorry," she choked out, feeling wetness accumulate on her cheeks. Wolfgang didn't answer he just tightened his arms around her.

"You did what you thought was best," he replied at last. "And-" he added a slightly ironic smile crossing his face, "If it hadn't been me you conned, I would have been impressed."

Kala opened her mouth to apologize again, but Wolfgang just sighed and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Later, we need to get out of here."

Kala blinked again, already the darkness was beginning to resolve, random patterns of light bursting in and out of focus.

"The guards are wearing guns," whispered Nomi, "There are one on either side of you."

"Moan," said Lito, "Slide down, more on the floor, they will be less careful around you if they think you are hurt."

Kala let her aching legs collapse completely. She was cuffed to a cupboard door, propped up against something, sliding down twisted her arms painfully above her head. A pair of hands roughly caught her and she let out a pitiful whimper.

"We need to get those handcuffs unlocked," said Will. Kala twisted about trying to locate her earpiece but then realized his voice must becoming from one of the other cluster member's.

A blurry shadow appeared in front of her. It spoke with Whisper's voice. Kala shuddered, but did not respond when he asked if he could hear her.

"Pretend to pass out again," murmured Riley, "It will buy us more time."

"We need to get her out." Nomi was pacing up and down the length of Dr. Gallo's plane.

Kala felt a pang. Dr. Gallo.

She tried reaching out for Marie, but all that met her was a howling grief, terrifying in its intensity.

Gunshots pinged in her ear and Kala could not help jerking in her restraints again. Wolfgang swore, and twisted the keys in his cars ignition. It roared to life and he set off, engine growling.

The concrete dividers of the parking lot flashed in and out of view under his headlights. Wolfgang's expression grew even grimmer as he looked at the lights in his rear view mirror.

An ugly thought was growing in his head. Kala didn't have enough presence of mind to interpret it.

Poorly, she repressed her growing panic.

The Whispers shadow moved and was replaced by a smaller figure. Time was truly beginning to run out, Kala could almost make out dark grey scrubs. Wolfgang was dead silent, brow creased in concentration as he tried to shake the pair of cars on his tail.

"...need to check for concussion." An unfamiliar voice was saying and Kala felt a figure move closer and a pair of gloved hands begin to gently pat the sides of her head.

She nearly jumped when a soft voice, barely even a whisper registered in her left ear. "I know what you are." And then a thin metal object was placed in her hand. The one partially obscured by her hair.

Kala forced herself not to react.

Wolfgang swerved crazily down narrow streets. There was the taste of blood in their mouth. Nomi was fumbling with the pin in her hands.

Rubber squealed in a symphony of terror.

Riley's fingers had replaced Nomi's; but the pain was making them so lightheaded. Lito was too clumsy, Capheus didn't know how to unlock cuffs any more than she did; she knew she only had a few seconds.

A set of headlights was approaching, or was that a pair of eyes, holding a flashlight, peeling her eyelids open?

The rest of the cluster seemed frozen.

Time was doing strange things. It was making lights dance in her eyes; her hands gripped the wheel tighter.

There was concrete on both sides of her. She was trapped. If she could only look around, it was so dark.

 

There was a shadow, deeper than the others on her left. A gap in the wall. 

The handcuffs clinked musically in her ears.

Twin lights drew closer and closer, flaring over the windshield catching on microscopic scratches. The headlights were still coming straight for the car.

Wolfgang was not looking at them, fixated on the alley to the left. He could make it; the car would drive right past him. Behind him, another set of engines rumbled.

Only one way out. Not enough time for two.

Kala swore for a moment she saw his mouth twist in wry amusement.

Wolfgang's breath was very steady in her ear as he slipped the pin the nurse had given her into the lock of the handcuffs.

There was a muted click.

The handcuffs opened around her wrists. Headlights loomed. She could feel the cluster scrambling to turn the car. But they were slow, too slow. He wasn't going to have time to swerve.

There was no fear in his expression. Kala could have dealt with fear.

Instead, that sweet little half-smile was back, like he had chanced upon a ray of sunshine during monsoon season, like he was lying on the bottom of the lake looking up.

Kala opened her mouth to scream.

For a fraction of a second only, his hands tightened around her, and she felt him sigh, just once.

And then with a violent crash he was gone.

*** *** ***

There were no words to describe how Kala felt in that moment.

Only that in those frozen seconds, she knew, quite suddenly, what it was to stand look into the void. To stand at the event horizon of a black hole, as the closest pieces of her were sucked into the void, while the rest of her body was stuck. Pinned down, space contorting grotesquely around her.

She stood, quite suddenly, hands reaching out to grasp the gun dangling from the hip of the man next to her. There was no immediate noise, only the distant ringing of metal on metal, and faintly someone screaming.

The nurse must have scrambled out of the way. Kala might have wondered who she was. Might have thanked her. The guard must have reached for her. Someone might have been calling her name.

It didn't matter, there was only one voice that could have stopped her, and it would speak no more.

They might have been on another planet. They might have been scared. There was only the sound of her heartbeat, thin, solitary, and the rustle of the white-coated figure turning to face her.

Sun took over, moving as if through molasses, although in actuality faster than anyone could react. Her kicks were sloppy but effective, the guards crumpled.

Two more people rushed at her.

Distantly she felt her fingers flick off the safety, actions dictated by some half formed memory already decaying in her mind, and fired.

They collapsed, darkness already seeping into the from of their uniforms. She didn't stop to see if they were alive or dead.

Whispers just looked at her.

Kala could see him, clear as anything; her eyes had healed. They must have made the connection. She felt nothing; her mind was the desolation of an arid desert.

His mouth was opening and closing, was he speaking? Eyes bulging, Whispers gesticulated wildly, but he might have been speaking gibberish for all the impression it made on Kala.

He turned to run for the lab door. Kala shot his foot.

He dropped to his knees, mouth still moving.

Was he begging for his life? If she had been capable of feeling she might have felt satisfaction. Her other self would have. He might have smirked, dangerous shadows playing around the corners of his eyes.

Whispers must have been waiting for her to speak; there was an expectant look in his eyes. But neither of them had been the gloating type.

Her hands shook, as she leveled it with his face.

For a moment, reality began to return. Sound rushed in her ears, experience that was not hers told her mind to jump ahead; detailing the gory aftermath of the shot she had not yet fired. She could not bring herself to feel any disgust at his prospect.

Yes, reality had returned, but it did not bring sanity with it.

A second pair of hands steadied her, Riley stood beside her, "Together." She whispered.

And Kala felt the presence of her other selves fill her mind. Still it was too quiet. The emptiness in her chest was absolute. Yet:

"Together," she repeated, and they pressed down on the trigger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...Next chapter on Sunday...


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25:

Academically speaking, Kala knew how guns worked. She knew how they looked in movies, and how they sounded. They were the drivers of plot, the ultimatum, the vengeful brother's ally, and the desperate daughter's last resort.

In reality, she was sinking in deeper water than she could have even imagined. They never showed the aftermath, not like this. The aching in her right arm, as if she had pinched a nerve. The loudness of the shot. The sheer forcefulness of that noise had shocked her, like a bucket of ice over her head. The concavities of exposed scull, the blowback, the spatters of blood she had to blink past.

She had, for some foolish reason, expected it to be cleaner.

A peculiar numbness had began to spread through her. In a detached way, she realized she was going into shock. If the rest of the cluster realized this and were attempting to reach her she couldn't feel them at all. She was alone; even more so then she knew was possible.

The world continued around her. Someone screamed, there was the sound of boots thudding on concrete, machines beeped, distantly a siren began; voices, inexorable, began to babble. Phantom hands shook her; someone shouted that she needed to run.

Whisper's body crumpled before her in a leisurely fashion, segmentally, the flaps of his white coat fluttering. Kala was oddly reminded of the bed sheets her mother would string out on the clothesline on their balcony.

More yelling. More boots thudding down stairs.

Once upon a time, in a Berlin far away, she had watched a person collapse in the same fashion. All animation stolen from him, face destroyed, already well into the process of becoming 'the body'. She wondered if murdered people all looked the same as they died, or if the trained eye could spot variations. Wolfgang would know, most likely, although he wouldn't talk about it willingly. He would take her hand instead, just as she had wanted to back then, take her to a quieter place, wipe away the evidence. Organize the exterior in the hopes the interior would eventually match. The image of that careful crease that formed between his brows when he was concentrating was so strong she almost looked around the room for him.

But he was gone. Gone without a word. Kala knew that she would have taken anything in that moment: his anger, his disappointment, his betrayal. Anything if it meant the silence would stop.

Figures in blue shirts and black vests burst through the door. They were holding guns too. Kala thought, vaguely, that she should raise her hands. The blood made her fingers sticky as she let her weapon drop. Roughly she was pushed towards a wall. People were talking again.

Car doors, metal things, coldness, the muddy, dark, eyes of the cop they sent in with swabs to collect the shreds of tissue off of her face and hands. They sent the same cop to take her clothes, to maneuver her unyielding limbs into something grey and cotton. More metal, more coldness.

She had been questioned, she supposed, she wasn't sure what she said, if anything. Nomi was there too, really there, it would seem. Kala had caught a glimpse of her face through a window. She looked about as desolate as Kala felt.

The cluster visited her, they must have; Kala didn't remember if she said anything to them either. Diego made an appearance. Will came back, a flicker of joy, as much of a non sequitur as the slowly congealing food they kept putting in front of her.

She had the occasional moment of clarity, indeterminate spans of time where she was hypersensitive, paranoid, as if to compensate for the numbness. They kept her in some sort of interrogation room, cuffed to a table. She would catch glimpses of her face reflected in the one-way window, distorted, foreign.

When she was ten, her grandfather had died. They had never been close. She remembered her mother telling her not to look as they prepared the body for the funeral rituals. She remembered her grandmother's kindly face, transformed with emotion. That had been her only encounter with death.

This was nothing like that. This was devastation. This was the incredulous disbelief that the gods could be so cruel. There was no thought of recovery, of moving on. There was no reason for any of this. Any attempts at a prayer withered on her lips, distantly, Kala realized she was furious.

Marie still prayed. Incessantly. Over and over, her words becoming like white noise in the back of Kala's head. Unwittingly, Kala was drawn to her; Marie was still in some kind of hotel, or maybe a friend's house. So far as Kala could tell, she had not left the same square inch of space at the foot of her bed since Dr. Gallo was shot. She kept a rosary clutched in her fingers, beads worn, well loved.

There was an enviable undercurrent of acceptance in the midst of Marie's agony. She had come to terms with the risky nature of her life; they had lived with each other for years. They had discussed what to do.

Kala had no such recourse. He was supposed to be safe, she was supposed to keep him safe. He was supposed to have a future, they were – but Kala could go no further and retreated once more, into whatever numbness she could find.

*** *** ***

At some point a very beefy man came into the interrogation room, Kala eyed him wordlessly over the growing stack of untouched plates and coffee cups.

He didn't say anything for a while; in fact he looked positively unsettled. In a former life, Kala might have felt concerned; he really was a prime candidate for a heart attack. Finally, he pushed a folder towards her, and then helped himself to some form of sandwich sitting on her left.

Kala stared at the folder. It was very thick, and had the air of being hastily assembled; someone had scribbled out its old label and written in black sharpie ' THE SENSATE CASE' on the front.

Kala looked back at the man. For the first time she realized her backpack containing the hard drive was no longer on her back.

"Oh," she said.

"Police Chief Evans," replied the officer gruffly, looking like he wasn't sure if he should offer a hand. After casting Kala an appraising look he seemed to decide against it.

"Do you know how long you have been here?"

Kala shook her head.

The Police Chief let out an expansive sigh, "I didn't think so. Ms. Marks seems to be in the same, ah, state as you, although somewhat less severe... Officer Rodriquez tells me you have lost one of your... cluster?"

The man seemed to grapple with the concept and fail to quite come up with the right thing to say.

Kala didn't say anything, although her attention stirred, Nomi was hurt? Of course she was. Kala hadn't even spared a thought to how her cluster must be feeling; probably the same as her.

Evans took the opportunity to plow through half of the sandwich he had selected. "Complete shit show," he began again, settling back a little in his seat. "Your little hard drive," he shook his jowly head, "The news got a hold of it of course, and people are protesting now."

"Protesting?" repeated Kala dully, the numbness she had drawn over her seemed to be retreating despite her best efforts. "Protesting what?"

"Not sure they know themselves," the Chief chuckled, "Some of 'em think you all ought to be locked up, some of 'em think you are the second coming, some of 'em are drawing your lot in spandex tights. And then don't get me started on the fucking hack-tivist conspiracy theory freaks sending letter at all hours."

"Julia," Kala suddenly remembered the multi pronged nature of their mission. Had Julia decoded all the other information? Of course she would be missing some because – Kala's mind violently rejected the thought and cast around for another one – "Why are you here?"

Squinting at her, but seeming pleased that she had displayed signs of life, Evans dug around in the folder for a bit and pulled out a sheaf of paper.

"To release you," he said simply, "Between the evidence provided by Ms. Marks, Ms. Julia Isler, and some eyewitnesses, we have determined your actions were self defense. Trials are pending of course, all those data leaks, very suspicious, not to mention the UN funding. But –" the man let out another sigh, "You have public sympathy, things look good."

Numbly, Kala took the papers, scratching out something resembling a signature where the Chief had pointed.

Then she found she couldn't move.

Nomi came eventually, and then Marie. Her cluster mate was very pale and there was something vaguely haunted about her eyes. Kala likely looked worse. None of them were in a place where they should be looking after anyone. Something about that realization, that they were all suffering, gave her the strength to walk out of the police station.

It was a relentlessly sunny day. Everything looked exactly the same. Kala hated it; it didn't feel like real life.

They went to a hotel. Was it a hotel? She couldn't remember. There was a bed.

There was a carefully detached look on Marie's face, her fingers clutching at the rosary around her neck. That was the only thing that Kala remembered making sense.

She understood.

Julia must have come at some point, Amanita too. Kala didn't care; she just wanted to sleep. The TV was on a lot. Julia would hook her tablet up to it and watch the Swiss news channels. But even there all anyone could talk about was the "sensational" news: A new species of human, living among us!

Sometimes, Nomi curled up beside her and they watched together. Nomi had improved vastly since Amanita had returned. Marie averted her eyes when they kissed. They were staying a few rooms down from her. Julia was sleeping in the bed next to her. Kala wondered if they didn't trust her to be alone.

The rest of the cluster hovered on her periphery. Will and Riley were back together, and Kala had woken one night, or day, drenched in sweat, and tears at the familiar intimacy they had just shared. After that, she had carefully, meticulously put up walls between them. Remembering Riley, tucked into an old fishing jacket, watching the dirty plastic pail that served as a garbage fill up with discarded needles, Kala could not begrudge them their happiness. Or at least she could try not to let them know if she did.

Two days passed.

Diego came by, once with a dog, and gave them updates. Kala remembered clinging to unconsciousness during one of these visits, the wet press of a nose against her hand, dangling off the edge of the bed.

Newspapers started collecting on all the available surfaces. There were opinion articles. They had to move hotels, Diego slipping his coat over her head as flashbulbs went off.

Nomi was disgruntled. Sun was angry. Capheus seemed ambivalent, fame having never been one of his aspirations. Will and Riley were too in love to care. Lito was debating a press release. And all around the connection was this gaping hole, a fraying point: a void. A nothingness that Kala's mind would frequent for long hours, describable only by its borders.

The sun peeked in and out of clouds; Kala watched it from behind a thick set of blinds. Her parents tried to call her. Twice. She let her phone die. It didn't take that long; it had been less than four days since she had last charged it on Dr. Gallo's plane.

Marie, in solidarity, let hers die too. Julia despaired of the both of them, but Kala knew there was nothing she could do. She seemed to be waiting, perhaps for Kala to pull herself together. It didn't seem to be happening.

And then, suddenly like surfacing after an extended dive; there was a voice. It was emanating from the TV, which she had successfully ignored most of the morning. The voice was speaking in English. The announcer had an accent that made her homesick for a country she had never been to. It was a nightly news report.

They must not have thought it was that noteworthy, and tucked it into the tail end of the report. Kala might have missed it if not for the matching words scrolling across the screen in a red banner. And the name.

"...The man that police had pulled out of a freak car accident in Norway had been identified. Mr. Wolfgang Bogdanow, a resident of Berlin, apparently on holiday just outside of Oslo..."

Without any conscious thought, she found herself standing. Rising so quickly vertigo overtook her, and spots swarmed her field of vision. Her hearing however, was unaffected.

"... Has been declared in stable condition, although still comatose, after being found nearly dead four days ago. Police tell us EMT's had to restart his heart multiple times, even before..."

Kala fainted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short chapter this time, a wee bit to tie you over to the last few chapters. Not sure when those will be up...next chapter maybe on Wednesday? Maybe Friday? Who knows?
> 
> As a side note: If any of you are interested in what I listened to while writing this, it was Human Sadness by Julian Casablancas and the Voidz. On repeat. Its a great song. Sounds like... if someone put the depressing part of the 80s in a blender with a dash of Lou Reed and a whole lot of mumbling, all while this ironic little guitar riff plays on repeat.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26:

If he was dead, it was exactly as awful as he had thought it would be.

Darkness, heavier than anything he had ever experienced pressed down on him. Everything was cold and painful and full of persistent beeping noises.

Actually, he hadn't expected the beeping.

Suddenly the blackness surrounding him took on a dimension, one that could be contained by his closed eyelids.

Slowly, agonizingly, Wolfgang came to the conclusion that he was alive, or at least, mostly alive. He couldn't seem to move anything and there was a hot throbbing pain stabbing into his temple. The tickle of morphine was numbing one of his arms. The screech of tires echoed in his ears, like a burning afterimage, fading far too slowly. Wolfgang had a niggling suspicion car crashes might feature prominently in his future nightmares.

Unbidden, a soft whimper escaped his lips.

There was a gentle brush against his mind, golden and familiar. His entire body seemed to relax without any conscious thought, the throbbing in this temple lessened.

She was safe. He wasn't alone.

It was the thought of seeing her again that forced him to undergo the considerable effort to peel open his eyes, but when he eventually did it was to squint past a beam of sunlight and resolve a blurry silhouette, one that he would know anywhere.

"Felix?" he croaked, throat parched. He blinked more energetically and managed to focus on the features of his friend's face, and the cup of water he was holding.

Felix looked awful. His cheekbones, already lean and angular, looked sunken somehow, like he hadn't slept or eaten in weeks, deep purple shadows under his eyes.

"You look like shit," commented Wolfgang conversationally, voice rough as if he hadn't used it in weeks. He wasn't sure if he was still supposed to be mad at Felix. Or was it Kala?

"You should see the other guy in here," replied Felix, somewhat more subdued than usual. "Looks like he got run over by a fucking tank."

"Close enough," muttered Wolfgang, although he couldn't remember much of it, and he really preferred not to think about the extent of his injuries.

Silence stretched between them as Felix stared at him appraisingly, and Wolfgang tried, subtly, to assess if he could feel his legs. He couldn't.

His only source of comfort was that if it was anything truly debilitating he knew Felix would have told him right away. They had made a pact, years ago, when it became clear Wolfgang had no easy way out of his Uncle's business and that Felix had a yin for breaking and entering.

He finally shook his head and moved more into Wolfgang's field of vision, "What were you thinking Wolfie? Who the fuck taught you to drive?"

"Some, kid I went to school with; thought he was the shit for stealing his stepdad's car," rasped Wolfgang, catching the hint of mischief in his friend's eye.

Felix cracked his trademark grin, "Damn sounds like he was pretty cool."

"Yeah," Wolfgang closed his eyes, but couldn't help grinning back, very painfully. "He is alright."

The muscles of his face quivered, as if they were unused to movement, but Wolfgang couldn't help the feeling of relief; he still had Felix.

Slowly, sense began to filter into his scrambled brain and he finally had the presence to ask the question he half knew the answer to.

"Did it work?"

Felix responded by hovering a newspaper in front of Wolfgang's face, holding it steady, since Wolfgang noticed with a kind of numb horror, both of his arms were encased in plaster.

It took a minute, they must have him on a lot of drugs, but the words filtered their way into his sluggish brain. Scandal... Massive online leak... Whistleblowers from around the world... World Health Organization under investigation for funding illegal laboratory, which was conducting highly dangerous experimental surgeries... Nomi Marks speaks out, advocate for the anonymous... A new kind of mental illness...'

"Illness." Wolfgang wasn't sure what to make of that. "They think we are sick?"

"It is how they are framing it yeah. Although –" added Felix, "They do debate it a bit on page seven, they're comparing Whisper's actions to that of early asylum attempts to 'cure' schizophrenia. Discrimination, etc., Nomi is all over that shit. She has kept your identity hidden though, seemed to think you would want to stay low profile."

"Mm." Struggling to focus, Wolfgang reached out to his cluster, the connection felt unusual however; oddly intense but at the same time indistinct. As if they were all standing in the next room over, but trying very hard not to overwhelm him.

Very strange.

Unconsciousness was starting to bear down on him again, exhaustion trickling into the borders of his mind. He clenched his jaw hard, fighting his heavy eyelids; he still had so many questions...

"Where am I?" he managed, already beginning to fade. Where was Kala?

Felix grinned before spiralling erratically out of Wolfgang's vision; he just caught his last few words before drifting off:

"Brienz County Cottage Number Seventeen."

*** *** ***

The next time he woke Julia was leaning over him with a series of concerning looking metal instruments. She didn't seem to give any indication that she had noticed him wake up, and merely continued to shine lights in his eyes and ears, periodically pausing to write things on her tablet.

Wolfgang coughed a little. She kept ignoring him.

Finally, an expression like thunderclouds began to form on her face after a few more pointed coughs. With a few definitive clicks of her stylus, she turned to leave.

"Julia?"

It seemed for a moment as if she would storm out of the room without a word to him, but at the doorframe she paused and turned. The look she gave him was a mixture of affection and exasperation, mixed with a lot of relief.

"I am increasing my rates," she announced loudly.

Wolfgang blinked. "I am raising my rates," she repeated rounding on him, "If it stops either of you bastards from getting yourselves mostly killed!"

Wolfgang decided it was probably wisest not to say anything.

"Lord almighty, have the two of you ever met a bullet you did not try to catch with your stupid, stupid faces –"

"- Technically, it was a car crash, and I got shot in the chest, not the face," shouted Felix from somewhere in the general vicinity of the living room.

Julia ignored him. "Two broken arms, a fractured clavicle, one separated shoulder, nary an un-collapsed lung on you, you nearly perforated your kidneys, every flavour of cranial and spinal trauma, one blown eardrum, and who knows how many cracked ribs, actually wait I do know, six! Six! Do you have any idea –"

" –Julia -" interjected Wolfgang cautiously, who was unsettled by this display of emotion.

She raised a threatening finger into his line of vision, "-Promise me you will NEVER pull this kind of shit again!"

Wolfgang tried to nod and then realized he was wearing a neck brace. "I promise," he said quietly, not able to meet her eye for some reason.

She watched him carefully, then nodded, "Felix barely left your side, and I basically had to set up a barricade to keep your girlfriend and the rest of your - What do you call it? Cluster? – out of here," she informed him in a low voice.

"- They're here?" interrupted Wolfgang again, earning himself a glare.

Julia nodded again, and then leaned over to fuss with his blankets. "Please don't forget that you have many people that care about you," she said at last, staring at her shoes, and her hands shook as she smoothed the sheets over his chest.

Wolfgang knew in that moment, with a familiar sinking feeling, she had seen his scars. Of course she would have. A casual viewer would not have noticed, faded as they were, but no one conducting a proper medical exam would have missed them or their significance.

She had likely undergone some sort of training for this kind of thing. Got taught to look in the inconspicuous areas, recognize the trauma caused by repeated beatings. He watched her carefully for any signs of pity, but Julia just sighed and patted his blanket-covered leg before silently exiting the room.

Distantly, he heard the echo of her voice start up from the living room, cajoling Felix about keeping up his physiotherapy routine.

"Kala?" he whispered, throat scratchy as if he had been swallowing glass.

The conversation stopped outside his room, and a set of light, measured, footsteps approached.

His eyelids were getting heavy again but he forced them open. Her face appeared at the end of his bed, surrounded by an aura of medical supplies and x-rays. She looked as tired as Felix, and cautious, but also deeply relieved.

He could see the tension she was holding in her shoulders. There were faintest traces of bruises on her face. She was wrapped in the largest, most yellow, knit scarf he had ever seen. The sun slanting through half open curtains caught the curls escaping her bun. Under his gaze, her left hand shook slightly and she tucked in her pocket.

Something twisted a little in him, and broke free.

"Come here," he managed.

*** *** ***

He looked almost unrecognizable, face swollen and cut, most of his upper body covered in bandages. She had wept the first time she had seem him, but that had been weeks ago. And the voice was the same, if a little rough, lilting in her ears, the only indication they weren't speaking the same language.

She moved closer, barely wanting to breathe, he looked so fragile. She wasn't sure how she felt; probably just as breakable.

Looking at him made her fingers itch to touch him, as if to verify he was actually real, alive, safe.

Wolfgang made a noise that somehow indicated he knew what she was thinking.

"Closer," he murmured and glanced over, as best he could, at the space beside him.

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

Kala settled beside him, moving with exaggerated care, still wincing as every nerve in his body protested the slight depression in the mattress caused by her body.

The neck brace got in the way, but she snuggled up to him as best as possible. For a long while they laid still and listened to the noisy chirping of birds outside. Kala thought he might have fallen asleep, but then he spoke very slowly.

"I think I might be angry at you."

"I know," whispered Kala. She had been afraid of that. But she was also quite sure she deserved it.

"I might even yell at you." There was the faintest wisp of humour in his voice.

"Ok," replied Kala cautiously. There was a long silence. His mind was curiously distant, anxious even. Kala worked up the courage to peak up at him. "Wolfgang?"

"I love you," he said finally, voice shaking only slightly over the words, "I wanted to tell you that, when the car was about to crash, but there wasn't enough time and I was too much of a damn coward to say it earlier."

"It's ok," said Kala fighting down the warm little lump that had formed in her throat, "Really, I knew you meant it even when you didn't say it."

"I wanted to say it," insisted Wolfgang, his chest now rising and falling in a concerning fashion. "It means something to you, and I wanted you to know how brave I think you are, and..."

His eyes flashed over to Kala and she watched him struggle for a moment, before taking pity on him and leaning over to kiss him very gently, avoiding his split lip.

"I know," she murmured. "I love you too."

He gave her what might have been a smile and then closed his eyes, the line between his eyebrows relaxed slowly, and Kala sighed. A little bubble of contentment started to grow in her, and she carefully settled her arms around them before joining his thoughts, steering them into a warm and restful place.

She left his side, reluctantly, several hours later; the delicious smell of something cooking luring her out of the front door.

It had been Julia's idea to bring them all here, after the second consecutive week in the hospital had failed to restore Wolfgang to any sort of consciousness. She, Julia and Felix had got here first, renting out an entire row of cottages. Half lost in a fuzzy sort of half panic that made reality feel like a TV with bad reception, Kala remembered spending a lot of this time sitting under the watchful gaze of Julia, and when Julia was busy, the beady eyed proprietor of Brienz County Cottages.

The weather-beaten old landlord didn't ask many questions when they showed up van full of life support equipment in tow, Kala appreciated that. He had merely handed them a jingling key fob and beamed at the sight of Julia. She seemed to have that effect on people.

The smile, however, faded almost immediately at the sight of Felix (he also seemed to have that effect on people). Kala remembered watching the landlord stump around, adjusting things and scowling, issuing seemingly incoherent threats about plates and vases. Incoherent at least until Kala remembered. laconically and then with a jolt of amusement and curious heartsickness, that Wolfgang and Felix had beat a Russian mobster half to death with most of the kitchen contents of cabin number sixteen.

Nomi and Amanita joined them next, closely followed by Lito and Hernando, filling up two cottages just a few meters down from them, and one at a time taking over the role of loyal watchdog, as she stared blankly out of the window for hours in a row.

It helped, having them near, although the shared experience of her emotions got to be a bit much sometimes. Inevitably, lucidity returned, this time for good.

Wolfgang stayed resolutely comatose, but she did not despair any longer. Instead, she and Julia tried to fill the room with bright chatter, as she exercised his limbs, changed sheets, and adjusted his IV.

Slowly, she began to feel at home. She and Nomi began to take walks to town, two city girls exploring the lush green forests, huffing and puffing in the thinner air, laughing breathlessly at the sideways looks they received from the locals, rumbling past in a curious assortment of trucks and scooters.

Lito had joined them sometimes, always scooping Kala up into an enthusiastic bear hug and planting kisses on both her cheeks, which shocked her at first, but now she found it rather endearing. There wasn't really any way to describe it; just that she had a brother and another sister now.

Sun and Capheus came next, Sun weakly raising a hand in greeting and Capheus beaming at her like a ray of sunshine bouncing off a glass building. Julia had taken to him immediately, and in the moments where she wasn't fussing over the invalid sensates, was leading him on enthusiastic bike rides all over the countryside.

Last of all came Riley and Will, and they too mixed into their little family, Will pale and weak but growing stronger steadily, he and Sun having great fun grumping about their various ailments, on days where she wasn't too weak to talk.

It felt like a dream, like some sort of half-baked fantasy. How was this her life now? How was this even working?

But as she watched, Amanita and Hernando jokingly elbowing each other, grilling something on the barbecue, while Lito and Nomi looked on, Capheus lying in the long grass his face buried in one of Felix's comic books, Will and Sun sitting quietly in the shade, and Riley and Julia playing some sort of card game next to them, she realized she was happier than she had ever been.

The happiness was complicated of course; there was a big unspoken question, and then what? The uncertainty rattling around in the back of their heads.

Isolated in their little cottage retreat, they had been protected from most of the media fallout. Yet it was of such magnitude that even secluded Brienz could not escape the news.

In an effort to stop Kala from going to jail after the police got a hold of the Chicago hard drive, Julia and Nomi had released all of the information that they had found on the other hard drives, all at once.

What had followed was a global scandal, as over 30 years worth of forced surgeries, cruel experimentation and other atrocities dropped into the lap of modern media; and with it the revelation that there was another kind of human. The shock was beyond comprehension.

It was as if the world had suddenly gotten louder.

Former BPO employees, including the nurse that had come to her aid, spoke out in support. News anchors had long winded analyses, celebrities chimed in. The earth spun on. Just not quite in the same way. Nomi had shown Kala her blog one night, each post now reaching millions of hits and the comment section exploding with a slew of opinions.

"I wonder if we did the right thing," sighed Kala skimming an abusive tirade by some anonymous viewer.

"I think so," said Nomi, "The truth is always better, people will rejoice it, people will fight it. But in the end I think, the important ones will come to accept it."

And not for the first time, Kala's thoughts turned to her family. She wondered if they had managed to put two and two together. Even if they did, they had no way of reaching her; in the rush to get to Wolfgang's side she had failed to renew her phone service.

"Come here!" cried Lito bringing her back to the present moment, scooting over so Kala could sit next to him on the doorstep. He slung an arm around her shoulders, "He seems to be doing well."

"Yeah," said Kala, sighing and letting her shoulders relax, "I think it is going to be ok."

The air had begun to cool, and Kala was glad of her newfound knitting skills. She had never known such a dry, crisp atmosphere; it seemed to suck all the heat from her skin. It was hard to believe it was only early August. Their birthday would be coming soon.

A light on in the last cabin in lane caught her eye. "She is here?"

Nomi nodded, taking a sip from her drink. "She got here a few hours ago, said you could visit anytime you are ready."

"Oh," replied Kala, suddenly feeling a bit nervous, getting to her feet and wiping her hands on her pants, "I guess I will go now."

Gravel crunched underfoot as she walked up the steep driveway, the door to the cottage was ajar and swung open when Kala knocked.

"Come in," called Marie from the kitchen. The older woman's mind was completely withdrawn from hers, inscrutable. They had not talked much since Kala had realized Wolfgang was alive. In the wild joy that had accompanied those first few hours, Marie had gently retreated, warmly pleased, but stinging with half hidden pain; Dr. Gallo's body had already been cremated.

Kala settled into a tartan armchair; all the cabins seemed to have completely arbitrary layouts, no one resembling the other. The one she and Wolfgang were staying in was sleek and open concept; Marie's seemed to embrace a kitschier aesthetic.

A purring noise by her left ear startled her, and Kala looked over to see a small black cat place one delicate paw in her lap before nosing at her hand.

Marie poked her head in, "Tea?"

"Sure," replied Kala distractedly, as the creature settled into her lap, fixing her with an unblinking green-eyed stare.

A memory of Daya feeding strays popped into her mind. Her sister loved cats; she would always sneak milk from their dad's restaurant to give the ones with kittens. Kala was forever tripping over little dishes laid out in the alleyways behind their house.

"Don't worry," said Marie briskly, entering the room bearing two cups of tea, "The cat is very friendly."

She looked all right; considering everything, although the shadows under her eyes told a different story. Kala accepted her tea silently and stroked the purring ball of fur in her lap with her free hand.

Marie settled in the love-seat across from her, and seemed to be searching for the right words.

"Her name is Bouton," the older woman began at last, gesturing at Kala's lap, "My therapist told me that it might help... with... with everything."

Kala nodded, somewhat at a loss for words, because she had been there, and knew there was nothing that could be said to fix it. 'I'm sorry,' was woefully inadequate.

Marie understood, and smiled in a strained kind of way. After another moment, she turned and reached into a briefcase tucked against the corner of the couch. She produced a thick brown envelope and passed it to Kala.

"What is it?"

"Something Izzy wanted you to have," Marie gestured that she should read it, giving her another strained smile.

Kala did. Twice. With a growing sense of astonishment, she looked up at Marie, hoping for some kind of explanation, Marie seemed to he occupied by the view outside the window.

Bouton watched her from below, eyes bright and curious.

"So –" said Kala at long last, taking a very shaky sip of tea. "If I am reading this correctly, Dr. Gallo – Izzy – has -"

"-given you ownership of Chameleon Solutions," finished Marie, when Kala started stuttering, staring in shock at the paper. "And she has transferred most of her financial assets to you."

"But, but-" protested Kala, "They should go to you, or her brother. I mean –"

Marie shook her head, "Izzy and I discussed it long ago, I never wanted her company or her money, or her family's money, because frankly there is a lot of that to go around too." She shrugged, "I am a simple person, with simple tastes and small ambitions. You on the other hand..."

"But she hated me," burst out Kala, "She even told me so herself."

Marie gave a reluctantly fond smile, "Izzy was always a bit blunt, but I have it on the highest authority that she liked you very much."

Kala made a noise of disbelief, but Marie continued, "I think, if she was cold to you, it was rather because you reminded her of herself, before Whispers. That kind of thing makes people funny, you know."

The shocked silence stretched between them. A few weeks ago Marie might have filled it with chatter, but now she just gestured wanly at Kala and stared out the window.

"I need to think about this," muttered Kala at last, cautiously depositing Bouton on a footstool, and rising, suddenly needing to be somewhere else.

Marie nodded absently and for a moment Kala thought that was all she would hear from her.

"You don't have to accept it," Marie said at last, when Kala was at the door, still staring out of the window "But I think she would have wanted her company in the hands of another sensate. Making sure there was someone protecting us."

And without another word she waved Kala from the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am alive! (And so is Wolfie) - Sorry about the extended absence, university is hitting me HARD. I hope you like this one, feel free to let me know what you think, next chapter should be in a week or two from now...
> 
> Fun song suggestion: Bon Iver - 8 (Circle) from his latest album is an excellent fit for the whole sense8 aesthetic.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27:

"Ok, ok," said Felix grinning with drunken glee, "Try it again."

Kala rolled her eyes, but she was a little drunk too, so the eye roll ended in a bit of a giggle.

Wolfgang, sitting on the couch above her, glared at the two of them, but there was no venom behind it. She knew him well enough to recognize the twitch in his jaw that meant he was repressing a grin. Feeling warm and loose jointed, she leaned her head against his legs and was rewarded with a fleeting smile, before he schooled his features back into disapproval.

They were still in Brienz, bathed in the golden glow of a small fire in the hearth, the patio door propped open to let in a crisp breeze. Rain was falling steadily outside and she could hear the pinging of drops on the roof overhead.

Their little retreat had slowly but surely gotten a little emptier, the cluster slowly clearing out after what had been the strangest and most lavish birthday party Kala had ever experienced.

She didn't actually remember much of it, the combined excitement of seven people thoroughly scrambling her thoughts to the extent that the whole thing felt like fever dream. Or as Riley had said - advancing on her at some point, brandishing a can of whipped cream, grinning manically - "A really great acid trip."

Kala was just going to take her word for that. All she knew was that she had woken to chaos; the wreckage of streamers strewn across the room, glitter in unexpected places, and the ceiling of their cottage covered in silly string '8's. Lito was already up, still wearing a tiara, and attempting pancakes under the watchful supervision of a sleepy Will. They had all spent the day in messy jumble of limbs, nursing a collective hangover and taking turns picking channels on the TV.

And then before she knew it everyone was gone.

Nomi, Lito and their respective partners had left first, heading for Brazil a few days ago, dressed in an impressive array of colours. It was going to be Lito's first pride and Nomi was practically vibrating with excitement, Amanita was plotting costumes, and Hernando was just trying make sure everyone got to the thing in one piece.

If she cared to focus on them now her ears would fill with the sound of pop music and cheering voices. She and Wolfgang kept getting weird impressions of feathers and the press of stranger's bodies against theirs.

Sun and Capheus had returned home next, Sun with a grim little sneer playing about her upper lip as she boarded her flight to South Korea, heralding court summons, thin shoulders lifted as if she were walking into battle. And then Capheus, still looking about with bright-eyed curiosity, dragging behind him a suitcase full of Swiss chocolate for his mother.

Will and Riley had left last, first going to Iceland to explain everything to Riley's very worried father and then back to Chicago, where Diego of all people had become something of a local hero.

Will had snorted in disbelief over that as he packed his bags, Kala sitting cross-legged at the end of his bed.

"What will you do next?" she asked trying to keep the question light, but with the feeling she was undoubtedly failing to hide her anxiety.

The look Will gave her confirmed her suspicions. "Have you two talked about it?"

"No," said Kala defensively, "Wolfgang can barely hold a fork steady right now, talking about the future might, I don't know, put him into cardiac arrest."

Will snorted again in amusement, but she could tell he had a lot of the same fears as she did. It was one thing to be caught up in the whirlwind of a new attraction. It was another thing to face a relationship that would by necessity be life-long, that could never be completely severed, no matter how disastrous the outcome.

"We have," he continued, settling beside her, "Riley wants to take things really slow for obvious reasons, so I think we will tour around Chicago a bit, take her to meet the old man, then go our separate ways, do long distance for a while." He looked down at Kala a slightly amused grin on his face, "I am looking for a job in London, though. Not the easiest thing –" he chuckled, "I don't own a whole frigging company."

Kala shook her head ruefully.

If she was being honest with herself, this was the second thing that had driven her out of the cottage she and Wolfgang shared, currently filled with noise and music as he and Felix celebrated their return to health, and into the comparative quiet of Will and Riley's room.

She had, after much deliberation, accepted Dr. Gallo's offer. And instantly, just like in the movies her sister so adored, her entire life had changed.

Well, Kala amended, recalling the first disorienting step out of her old life, the connection, months ago - the sensation rain trickling down her skin on a sunny day- perhaps not instantly. Perhaps this was just part of it, one more change that was just as baffling as all of the others.

Sometimes, however, when she caught reflection in the mirror, paler than usual but with hectic pink spots on her cheeks, tucked into one of Wolfgang's thick grey sweaters, hair plaited back by Nomi's skilled hands, and it felt like looking into the face of a stranger. For a long moment she would be seized by a rippling sense of unreality, then she would take hold of herself. Try, once again, give up her attempts to reconcile herself with the Kala that had worn bright coloured skirts under her lab coat and had giggled over marriage and movie stars with her sister.

It was with that in mind, that she had decided to take the plunge.

"After all," she had conceded, after one of many nighttime pacing sessions, lying back down, next to Wolfgang, who hadn't said a single word. "Chances like this don't come twice."

He had just smiled at her, and closed his eyes. In the end, she supposed a discussion about their future wasn't really necessary. He would stand by her and she by him.

What had followed her choice was an almost mind blowing number of manuals and procedures. Kala had spent the last few weeks sifting arduously through them, aided by a phalanx of assistants and advisors. It looked promising however. Her new second in command had looked immensely relieved over a video-conference when Kala had not shown any sign of an ego and agreed enthusiastically to start with a mentorship before assuming full responsibilities.

She had managed not to think of Mumbai for a while, sipping earl grey tea at the kitchen table, her phone humming persistently beside her, listening to the steady thump of Wolfgang's feet as he went through his morning stretches . But with everyone slowly returning home, a little ache had started in the vicinity of her chest. He knew of course, but she didn't say anything, and he didn't press her about it.

"Hey, hey, focus!"

Felix presented Kala with the newly locked safe, the portable kind that looked like a briefcase, bringing her back to the present with a grin, "Ok," he said, "Crack it."

Kala flexed her knuckles in an excellent impression of Wolfgang and then got to work. Above her Wolfgang's eyes fluttered shut. Kala started hiccupping several minutes in. Their eyebrows drew together slightly in consternation

With a bang, Julia burst through the front door, shaking the rain out of her hair, which had been dyed a ridiculous array of colours by a very enthusiastic Amanita.

"What are you all up to?"

"Science!" cried Kala at the same time Felix yelled "Drinking!"

Wolfgang let out a reluctant huff of laugher and endeavored to explain, since both of them were rolling on the floor clutching their sides. "Felix has managed to convince Kala to celebrate the end of his sobriety by telling her it is for science."

"And it is!" beamed Kala, who was actually taking notes (albeit increasingly sloppy ones) on a pad of paper beside her, "We are consuming alcohol in controlled increments" – she gestured to a shot glass – "and then Wolfie –Wolfgang, shares with me and tries to crack the safe, it is measuring psychic trans-transference of hand-eye..." she felt herself lose focus and let the sentence trail off.

Julia looked vaguely impressed, "I don't know if she made that all up but it sounded good."

"Welcome to my life," muttered Wolfgang.

"Join us, oh Juliet of the rainbow head," said Felix in a rather grandiose fashion, taking a long pull of beer.

Julia ignored him, "And you?" she asked producing a medical kit and leaning around Kala to examine Wolfgang.

Wolfgang grimly held up his glass of water. Julia beamed at him and gently patted the top of his head, "Good boy."

"Are you going somewhere?" he asked, noticing a small suitcase by the door.

She nodded, "Duty calls, little old lady in Zurich broke her hip and needs a home care nurse. Some of us –" she shot a disapproving look at Felix who was looking up at her from the floor with large sad eyes, "Have a real job."

Wolfgang offered her a hand, "Come back any time, here or Berlin. "

Julia smiled warmly and surprised him by leaning in and placing a kiss on his cheek. "Good luck with that one," she said, before Felix tackled her in what was likely the boniest bear hug in the history of bear hugs.

Kala teared up as they watched Julia pull away, the red of her taillights disappearing behind a copse of evergreens. Wolfgang might have made fun of her, but he was feeling rather sentimental too. He shook his head to clear it; must be the alcohol.

Kala was blinking sleepily at him leaning on his chest as they waved out the window at the departing car. A light snore from Felix told him his friend had already passed out on the couch.

Satisfaction, unfamiliar and forceful filled him. All was well in the world.

Stepping lightly, Wolfgang filled a glass of water for Felix and placed it by his head, then followed Kala into their bedroom, listening to her humming softly under her breath.

She snuggled up to him as soon as he laid down, carefully avoiding the arm that was still in a sling. He peeked down at her and met a pair of very wide brown eyes.

"Hi," he said.

"Hi," Kala smiled tentatively at him, already starting to sober up a little, "You ok?"

"Yeah." He leaned down to place a kiss on her head. "Pretty great actually."

And he was, despite his irritation at his injuries in the first few weeks since waking up, he was happy. The satisfied feeling filled him again, and he had to bite back another smile. Last week, some doctors had come by to remove his cast, upon further inspection the concussion was not as bad as it had seemed initially; he was healing faster than they had expected.

Felix leaning in the doorframe informed the amused doctor, in a carrying stage whisper, that he had a very thick skull.

He was still too weak to run, but Kala arranged little road trips to Brienz and back trying to keep him from getting cabin fever. Only a few days ago he had spent a few blissful hours floating in Lake Brienz listening to Lito and Capheus's girlish shrieks as they reached waist height in the cool water. The waves softly lapping against the bandages Julia had painstakingly wrapped in plastic cooling the itching pain that he had come to associate with healing wounds. He had stared blankly up into the sky for many long moments, enjoying the stillness of the lake, only returning to the present with a shout of laughter, as Lito tripped on a rock and splashed face first into the water.

It was nice.

It was like having a family.

Wolfgang had gone from spending most of his time alone or with Felix to suddenly being constantly surrounded by people. He would wake from an afternoon nap, music singing in his ears to see Riley sitting beside him, blue headphones on. Or do group physiotherapy sessions with Will while Nomi and Kala stood by the door and made jokes about an excess of testosterone, as they attempted to out stretch the other (much to Nurse Felder's disapproval). Strains of Spanish would float in through his open window, when Lito and Hernando would Facetime Daniela, and every night the little cottage dinner table would rock under the weight of so much food, and the press of so many people sitting around it.

Kala was with him constantly, leaning in to kiss his forehead while Julia poked instruments in his ears. Sitting at the kitchen table, talking on the phone to someone important sounding and saying a lot of words he didn't understand. Joking around with Felix, preventing him from burning the house down when it was his turn to cook dinner. It was incredible how well she fit into his life, and how different his life was with her in it.

They never did have that fight, the one he was expecting, the one where he spilled out the well of hurt and betrayal at her actions. Maybe it was the connection. Just as clearly as he understood his reasons for being angry at her throwing herself into danger, he understood her reasons for doing it. A little guilty voice asked quietly; if it had all been his fault after all, that he had pushed her to make such a desperate move.

The closest they had ever come to a discussion was a few days ago over the kitchen sink, Kala washing, and him making a clumsy attempt at drying still wearing his sling. There was just a hint of autumn in the air, and Wolfgang had to raise his voice slightly to be heard over the hum of crickets.

"Will you promise not to do that again?" he asked, pausing to watch Kala rinsing off a handful of cutlery.

She stilled and shut off the tap, understanding instantly. "Will you promise not to protect me when I don't need it?" she replied at last.

"Yes."

She nodded solemnly, and passed him the cutlery. "Then yes."

And they moved past it. It almost defied belief, where was the shouting? The sullen silences?

Kala had just smiled when she felt his confusion, and leaned over to kiss him, leaving little droplets of water on his shirt as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

Somehow, she made things like that easy.

"You are going to leave soon too," he whispered now, half muffled by her hair, enveloped in darkness and the scent of wine on her breath "Aren't you?"

He had caught her thinking about it more often, as she assumed more duties from Chameleon Solutions, and as the news about sensates continued to spread throughout all corners of the globe.

Home.

Kala propped herself up so they were eye level, and then nodded slowly chewing her lip, "I was thinking about it, yes. My parents..."

"I know," he replied, "You don't have to explain."

"I can visit you all the time," she promised, "Not just through the connection, in person too," she looked kind of bashful, "I guess I have a plane now."

"No," Wolfgang reached out to brush a bit of hair out of her face, "It is ok, you don't have to convince me, I think I need a little space too, time to figure out what I want to do with my life." It was his turn to look bashful, "I guess I have been thinking about the lock shop, how to make it more profitable, maybe take some classes..." he trailed off barely believing his own words, but Kala beamed and suddenly the idea didn't seem so far fetched.

"I can almost see that apartment in Mumbai," she murmured contentedly, gently reaching out and stroking a hand through his hair.

"Berlin."

She looked at him innocently, "That's what I said wasn't it?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only one chapter left! And I promise it is coming sooooon. Thank you for reading, and as always let me know what you think :)


	28. Epilogue

Epilogue:

Wolfgang wasn't one to spend time pondering the nature of the universe. Things had always just happened the way they were going to happen, and it was up to him to roll with the punches.

But, standing, looking about this sunlit apartment, he had to admit subtler changes were at work. The kind the crept up slowly, but surely. Briefly, he had the impression of a man caught unaware by high tide, now standing in water up to his neck where before had only been plains of wet sand and debris.

He supposed it had begun the moment he got home, finally hearing the comforting clunk of the tumblers in his door as he turned the key, the hinges creaking just so.

For a long moment he had stood there, on the landing, struggling to orient himself. Kala was hovering in the back of his mind, like a melody playing in another room, but other than that it was very quiet. Motes of dust twirled lazily in the sunlight creeping through his blinds. There was the very particular scent of cigarettes and soap that he associated with his flat filling his nose.

The former now gave him a headache, so he threw open a window, and wandered over to the pile of mail his landlord had thrown on a counter. The police clearly gone through the older stuff, but there were a few unopened missives that were clearly more recent.

After a moment of half-hearted digging he located a thick envelope from Nomi buried amidst the bills and junk, address written in her neat hand. Inside was a sleeve of photographs from their time in Brienz and a card featuring a cartoon caveman.

'Check your email more often,' the card read. 'The stone ages have expensive postage.'

At first he had no idea what to do with all the pictures, so he just left them on his kitchen table. He would always freeze awkwardly and shuffle them around to a different corner whenever he walked past. Someone, in the back of his head, chuckled at that.

Then his textbooks came in for the business certificate program Kala had helped him find, and he had to move them. For a long time they sat next to the cup that held his toothbrush, the soppy expressions on Nomi and Amanita's faces as they shared a piece of birthday cake staring down at him as he completed his morning ablutions.

Julia finally put an end to that next time she visited.

Somehow, over the course of the last few months she had ended up with a key to his place and would periodically visit smelling of Vaseline and disinfectant. Felix would always be in tow, grinning widely, chuckling at Wolfgang's expression as she breezed in, bringing with her amusing tales of patients with interesting skin complaints, and about twenty kilograms of leftovers from her Nona (who had taken one look at Felix last time he visited Julia in Zurich and decided an intervention was in order).

This time she also bore a large ball of blue sticky tack.

Now one of his walls was covered in a collage of smiling faces, his cluster frozen in a variety of poses, a picturesque blue lake in the backdrop. Julia did not seem to hear his protests that his flat now looked like it belonged to a thirteen-year-old girl.

There was only one in particular that he was partial to, a rare one of Kala and him together, smiling. Julia had known this somehow and framed for him. It was now sitting on his bedside table.

The photo was candid, probably a good thing, since he was always vaguely uncomfortable whenever someone pointed a camera at him. On one of their last days together, he had finally convinced her to come swimming with him, so in the photograph they were standing in thigh deep water. Kala was turning slightly blue in her bright red one piece, her curls tucked under his chin and he had his arms, finally both out of that damn sling, wrapped around her. He remembered Felix smirking at them from the shore, brandishing a camera and a thermos. They were both laughing in the photo, and other than the goose bumps, it looked like something out of a tourism pamphlet.

Sometimes Wolfgang would catch himself staring disbelievingly at it.

Every time he did, he couldn't help remembering how, as long as he could remember, whenever Felix had asked him where he saw himself in the future; his answer had always been "dead in a ditch in Siberia" with varying degrees of sarcasm.

He remembered, tinged with the warm patina of frequent recall, Kala slipping out of that swimsuit afterwards, leaving a trail of wet footsteps down the hall. She had paused and half turned outside their bedroom, shooting him a sly smile that had him weak at the knees and following her like a lost puppy.

The scent of lake water was sweet on her skin as he kissed down her neck, and he remembered the cool touch of her fingers sliding down his back. They had taken their time that night, both in consideration for his healing injuries and in acknowledgment of their coming separation, such that it was.

Even thinking about that moment made him want to visit her, after all being the owner of a company came with its perks, including a very large and private office. But Kala was buried deep in a research paper. He knew that nothing, save the apocalypse, would distract her at this moment.

So with a sigh he continued his survey of his apartment and his gaze alighted on the windows.

Ah yes there were the plants. The goddamn plants.

Felix had started seeing a botanist. Wolfgang wasn't quite sure how it had happened, only that one day he had looked up to see Felix sneaking in holding some sort of potted thing.

Buried as he was in a particularly boring chapter of his economics textbook, Wolfgang barely noticed, looking up only when Felix began to back out the apartment, sans plant.

"What the fuck is that?" inquired Wolfgang politely.

Felix had the grace to look sheepish, "An African violet."

Wolfgang sighed a little impatiently, "Yes, but why is it here?"

"Well, you have a South facing window, and my apartment is a shithole in a basement so..." But around that time Wolfgang had stopped listening, and wearily accepted his fate.

Kala had visited that night, looking very tired; she was back in Mumbai, trying to set up a new laboratory there. She had spent most of the day in meetings and most of her evenings trying to patch things up with her family.

"I used to have game," lamented Wolfgang only half jokingly, rinsing out the empty beer bottles he could no longer put on his windowsill and ignore.

Kala gave a hum of sympathy.

Wolfgang shot her a look as he dropped the bottles in his recycling bin; "Felix and I haven't gone out in weeks, not since he met that girl and I have class all the time."

With a sigh he settled next to Kala in bed, "I don't know if I even remember how to fire a gun."

Kala hummed again and shifted so he could tuck his head into the crook of her neck. "You are still teaching Capheus how to fight. I mean you don't really miss it do you?"

"Mm," Wolfgang sighed, "I suppose you are right."

But looking around now, he realized that part of him was gone even more irretrievably then he had realized. They were growing up. There was real food in his freezer; most of his friends had full-time jobs. People he knew were getting married.

Not him, of course, he and Kala had agreed that was not even up for discussion for at least a few years. Or at least Kala had agreed, while he tried not to visibly break out into a sweat, as she interpreted his panic correctly.

But Lito had proposed to Hernando a few weeks ago. In typical fashion, he had gone for the dramatic, renting out an entire movie theater and recruiting Daniela to film the proposal itself.

Lito was enjoying the whole affair immensely, and would regularly appear beside him in class brandishing a wine list or a floral centerpiece, grinning hugely, getting a kick out of the instantaneous stress response Wolfgang would exhibit.

Yet, steadily, time was doing its inexorable work, as Wolfgang knew it would.

The car crash had left him with more than just physical injuries; his nightmares were brutal for the first few nights at home. More than once, he woke drenched in sweat and violently angry, swinging at thin air. Nights like those he was grateful beyond belief Kala was not with him. He could tell Felix was struggling too, even though they hadn't talked about much.

There was a large blue mat pulled over the stained carpet in the lock shop where Felix had fallen, his life draining out of him. Felix always made a point to stamp hard on that part. But he never wanted to talk about. Wolfgang got that; he had never been the talker in their friendship.

They did what they had always done, ever since their childhood, through Felix's constant fights with his step-mom, through Wolfgang showing up to school with fingerprint shaped bruises on his arms; they just kept moving forward. Only now, of course, there was no stealing or safe-cracking to act as a vent. He didn't know what Felix did, but Wolfgang went back to running.

Often, on those first nights back, when there was nothing but his thoughts and the traffic lights sending beams of light onto his pillow, Wolfgang would slip on his worn trainers and run around the half-empty streets of Berlin. The rhythm of the steps would calm his hyperactive brain, lulling him into stillness until the sun began to peek uncertainly around the edges of sleek modern skyscrapers and the steeples of the churches.

Going back to school was also hard, especially since he had never enjoyed it in the first place. But that was just life. Good and bad all mixed together, the ticking of the clock, like a car's odometer, putting all thoughts of BPO and Whispers behind him.

Last of all he turned to look at his kitchen, the dish rack empty, everything neatly put away. His battered looking black suitcase rested against one of the legs of the kitchen table, neatly packed. A one-way ticket to Mumbai was in his pocket.

Wolfgang took a deep breath.

He would be back, no doubt. Berlin would always be his home, Felix was here, his job, everything that he knew; but the world beckoned.

A sense of adventure was quickening in his veins, adrenaline of the sort he hadn't felt for a while. For a moment only, his hands itched for a cigarette, but he realized he wasn't nervous. Today just felt like a page turning. A new chapter, to be trite, the past and all it's stubborn pain retreating, slowly, but surely.

*** *** *** 

Kala paced nervously across a set of glossy tiles on the floor of Chhatrapati Shivaji airport, chewing on a lip. The cluster was sitting behind her, in a row of chairs that were technically occupied by other people, watching the proceedings with some interest. Kala had not yet worked out how they did it; another thing on her long list of scientific conundrums presented by the connection

She did notice however, that Lito had the audacity to bring popcorn.

They all looked well: Will had regained most of his former muscle tone and wearing his customary Chicago PD t-shirt with pride. Riley was next to him her feet tucked up under her, smiling brightly, not even a hint of sadness in her eyes. Capheus and Nomi were whispering to each other, helping themselves to Lito's popcorn and Sun sat quietly, the picture of elegance in a tailored black pantsuit, smiling serenely.

"Is that him?" cried a voice, and Kala was forced to redirect her attention to the massive congregation of people that stood behind her cluster.

A casual onlooker might describe them as a mob. Kala called them her family. It had taken time, and a lot of explaining, but her parents had forgiven her. They still looked at her anxiously from time to time, when Kala would forget herself and start talking to thin air, or when she would work long hours and forget to eat (mostly the latter). But they were here; she could see her mother peeking out from behind one of her auntie's elbows, and her father grinning complacently beside her.

A pair of businessmen to her left caught her attention and Kala scowled. The one closest to her, dressed in drab grey suit, had the decency to look ashamed as he lowered his phone, clearly caught in the act of taking a picture. She had gotten somewhat used to the sideways glances and even gaping expressions, the recent success of Chameleon Solutions, and the subsequent reveal of her sensate abilities had gained her quite a bit of fame, but the glances and whispers still unnerved her.

Especially when they were of the more predatory variety.

She had begun to understand Dr. Gallo's iciness. To the world she might be a up and coming scientist, but in boardrooms and socials set up by the old boys club that was academia she was just an attractive woman in a expensive suit. The slights and subtle comments she received had shocked Wolfgang and infuriated her to no end. Her first meeting with the shareholders had been a disaster; she had barely held it together under the demeaning eyes of her new business partners. There were several shards of the vases she had smashed after that incident still embedded in the carpet of her office.

Wolfgang hadn't said anything during the course of Kala's rage fuelled destruction of her office, merely stood out of her way and proffered an expensive looking glass sculpture after she ran out of vases to throw.

Kala was immensely grateful for that; a lesser man might have offered to hit them for her. But in the end it was Sun, who had been on the receiving end of such micro-aggressions her entire life that gave the best advice.

Beat them at their own game.

And Kala did.

In the six months since assuming her position as CEO of Chameleon Solutions, the company had been generating a lot of what her advisors called 'buzz'. By revealing she was a sensate and with Nomi's advocacy and Sun's business knowledge, she had successfully began the first ethical research program into the sensate mutation, stealing grants and contracts from under the noses of those that had condescended her only weeks earlier.

She went for the kill, discovering a ruthlessness she didn't know she possessed. Magazine covers and the first of what was sure to be many uncomfortable interviews followed. After the paper was published - a comprehensive review of the chemical composition of the sensate brain - the executives from big pharmaceutical companies began to refer to her with a bit of fear in their voices. Respectful silence followed her speeches. Marie, on one of her frequent visits, had told her that Dr. Gallo would have been proud.

"No Uncle," called Kala, without looking.

They had been waiting for about twenty minutes, his flight was late, and he had insisted on flying domestic, going on about wanting a real experience.

Since their arrival various members of the Dandakar family had taken to pointing at every passing man that vaguely fit Wolfgang's description and loudly asking this question.

But moments later she was the one doing the looking and pointing because he was there standing in the arrivals gate. Predictably dressed all in black, he was looking out at the assembled crowd of waving people with an expression that could only be described as sheer, absolute, terror.

For a moment she thought he might run. It might have been the sensible thing. But she saw his mouth firm up with resolve and felt the wry touch of his mind against hers, as he descended the last few meters.

He had changed a lot too. If she had grown a harder shell, a tougher exterior, the past few months had done the opposite to Wolfgang. His mind was smoother somehow, as if many of the sharp painful edges had been sanded away. She knew, that if this situation had occurred back when they had first met he would have turned around and never come back.

Unable to wait any longer, Kala ran to meet him and threw her arms about his shoulders, ignoring the chatter from the more conservative sections of the mob, and the unheard cheers from the cluster.

The jolt of the enhanced connection shook them for a moment as it always did, and then subsided so Kala was aware the soft collar of his jacket pressing into her cheek, the scent of his toothpaste and warm breath tickling the top of her head.

His mind felt like a train running out of track.

"Just a few people," he repeated, "Just your family." There was a very poorly suppressed undercurrent of panic in his voice.

"This is just my family," said Kala patiently, "And a few friends," she amended watching a one of Daya's classmates peek out from behind a pillar.

"There is still time to turn back," she added, unable to keep the laughter out of her voice. "Take on a new identity, live out your days as a nomadic goat herder."

Wolfgang raised an eyebrow at her, but just shook his head. Very gently he squeezed her hand. There was a lot conveyed in that little hand squeeze. A comfortable warm feeling tickled the back of her throat.

Later tonight they would go for a walk, she would show him where she used to play, perhaps they would eat at her father's restaurant where she would feed him things that would make his ears turn pink.

Perhaps there would be more trouble in their future and BPO would return. Perhaps the culture clash would prove too much. Perhaps he would grow tired of her hectic schedule. Perhaps she would push him too hard and he would retreat from her. A million possibilities unfurled in the back of her mind.

Right now, however, all that was hypothetical, and if she admitted it, irrelevant.

Wolfgang's lips quirked as she thought that, and she knew he understood.

The silence from the assembly was expectant.

Wolfgang seemed to square his shoulders, taking a deep breath; he turned and smiled charmingly at the crowd, letting go of her hand and taking a step forward. There was a pause, then like a delayed action tsunami they descended on him babbling and exclaiming.

His blond head quickly disappeared from sight as he was surrounded by a herd of cousins and grandparents, all impressed and pleased at his nearly flawless Hindi, but Kala was not nervous anymore.

For once she just let herself relax, and together they were borne on a current of conversation, towards the door and into the milky, pungent night, ripe with the promise of all the time in the world.

Outside, the Mumbai traffic continued to rumble by, steady as the sea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow... That's all folks... I just want to say thank you to all of you, for your amazing comments and for taking the time to read my fic. This is the first story I have ever finished, so it is very special to me. Thank you, thank you, thank you, for all your support!
> 
> I will likely have a surplus of feels from the xmas special (4 MORE DAYS AHHHH) so you can expect a one shot or two out of me most likely. Also, I have some other fandoms I have been eyeing up... but all that to come. Happy Holidays everyone, may you have a peaceful and beautiful new year :)


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